Merry Jerry

This was an emotional Christmas.  My brother has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.  I have not been the same since I heard those words. I now realize the agony other families go through when they hear those words.  In my family we pick names for Christmas gifts and this year I picked him.  Oh shit!

What to make him??  I knew buying him something would have no meaning and he really does not need anything that does not have meaning.  He has a granddaughter he adores and she is sending the same love back to him. I just took a needlepoint class in Nashville hosted by t he one and onlyAnna Maria Horner. I thought a framed picture  that said "Pa Pa" would make him happy.  When I started it I was doing pretty good but when I got to the sides boy did it look crooked.  At first I was going to frame it but I changed my mind when I saw the ends and made it into a pillow. After I took this picture I realized how bad I was at this needlepoint stuff.  Every time I saw the white I would go back but it would split the thread and cause more "white noise".   It does not matter because it is what is in our hearts that count.  My brother knows that. This is my first completed needle point project.  It would be horrible to be perfect at everything. Ha.

Of course my favorite look for a quilt. The washing machine!

In between making the Pa Pa pillow I made this blanket out of some scraps.  This blanket kept changing depending on what I found to make it.  I LOVE the washing machine look.  It really show cased my favorite pieces of fabric on the quilt.

Here it is a little closer on a bed. I like the randomness of this blanket.  It was not easy to make. :(

This was the last of my brother's gifts.  He had mentioned a few years ago he wished he had the  license plates from our childhood.  After I hearing that, it was always in the back of my mind to get these  back.  They have been in a barn in Brown County, IN for about 20 years just hanging with other homeless plates.  I got a hold of my friend and her wonderful husband hopped on his trusty ladder and saved the plates!  My brother was thrilled to have these back in our family and they are resting comfortably in their new  home.   It really is just the little things in life that counts. Amen

Time to crochet

The clocks have changed and it is time to crochet. This is my first project. I have been stuck in a car for a few long trips and I  need to do something in the car to occupy my time before I go nuts watching my speed limited driving husband. I am going to try and not make anything balanced when I crochet.  I'll keep you posted. (No pun intended) 

Good Bye Selvage

I have been saving selvage from my fabric for years and it has been cluttering my world.  I finally sat down and sewed all of it together and made two rugs to be put in front of my washer and dryer. They were made with a larger hook and single crocheted. I wanted it to hold together. This cleaned up such a big mess and now my friend wants to make one for her.  This was a very satisfying project!

Love it!

I finished this with a single crochet around the border to pull it together.  Fits perfect.  Warm feet here we come.

"Apron Couple" Quilt

This quilt was made for the "Apron Couple" They are married now and this was my gift to them.  Theorder was for a blue and green quilt for their bed.  I called the prospective "groom to be" in a mad panic after I realized there are many blue/green combos. Ryan being a very calm young man told me, "No worries, don't sweat over this". AAhhh . Here we go.  I like creating this type of quilt.  I can run wild and free as every quilter must do!  The below picture is it at its final resting place before it hits the outside for a "photo op", then to the wedding in a nice white bag bought from the Container Store with whatever ribbon I can find in the basement to dress it up. For some reason I am so in love with that washing machine picture.  I'll have to work through this weird thing.

 

Here it is on the bed getting a rest before it goes to the new couple.

The paisley was the inspiration piece.

 In the back yard.  I definitelycan tell where I ran out of blue.  On the bed you cannot notice it as much as here.

The all so cool invitation. Ride on.



Texas Love

This picture was sent to me by my niece, the proud owner of "Texas Love".  When the owner sends this picture you know the quilt is in a good place.  Happy cat happy owner. Mission accomplished.

On the bed

On the bed, a photo by webquilts on Flickr.

Cockscomb

This flower was growing in my back yard without permission! Every year we dig up a new section and I move flowers around then add something new.  Well, last year I did this and found some seeds in my pantry so I thougth, what the heck and threw them in a spot.  This is what came up.  I can trace the seeds to two of my friend who gave them to me who knows how many years ago.  You know pantry, shove stuff in there, waay back in there and find waay later. So I cut it couple weeks ago and have been transporting to and from work like a child so that I keep an eye on the seeds that fall off and pass on to other  co-workers and have a "grow off" next year.  Everyone wants to feel it  and then come up with new name or place it should be growing.  I love it! I thought you might too. There were a few smaller ones trying to grow next to this one so my friend and I dug them up and planted them in a pot to see what would happen.  I'll keep you posted.

My Awesome Table Cloth

I have been on a major fabric binge! Help!!! I have been working on a quilt for the "apron couple".  Yes, that is what  we refer to them now. So when I started looking for fabric for them I ended up at my favorite Hancock's of all time twice.  This one is next to Midway Airport and kind of in a gnarly neighborhood, but filled with fabric that makes me and my quilts happy.  I found my inspiration piece for "apron couple" and then I needed more. (but of course.)  So I made my way to Hobby Lobby and found some more. I needed just a little bit more again.... of course.  So, I made my way to Joann's where there is country music playing on a little radio (just thought I would add that in) and found this taffeta fabric and knew I had to have it!!! The worker told me you could use it for a portion of the table. I thought on no sweetie this is going to rock my dining room.  I pinned the beads on the bottom that I just happened to have in the basement waiting to brake a way and be a part of the upstairs and voila.  The color seems to showcase any thing colorful.  I can't wait to eat off of this at Christmas.



The 70's party!

 My dear friend from work was hosting a 70's party.  She guilted me into making this outfit.  It was fun and easy.  I had the peace sign fabric and cut it to a flare and added it on by machine with a basting stitch so it would be easy to take off.  She loved and from what I heard the party rocked!

Country Pink

This blanket was made this summer during one one of those hot, hot and even hotter weeks.   I am trying very hard to  use up my fabric that has been sitting.  These colors for some reason represent my  heart and soul.  I love the mauve's in this quilt and the gray with the the little flowers.  I had some batik fabric in this quilt but realized it did not work so I had to take/rip it out. In the long run it pulled the quilt together.  I have a friend who is a seamstress and years ago she told me to never be afraid to rip something out that is not working.  Well Jan, thanks.  I rip out all of the time!

Love

My "Cousin Ricky" (that is what we call  him) has a son named Ryan who is marrying Nicole.  YAE.  For their wedding shower I decided to make them something I thought they would remember.Young couple been awhile since I've been there so I started looking around the kitchen and this is what I came up with .Aprons. You never buy one when are young.  Only older people where those. Mmm. But they have made a come back with all the cool retro fabrics and all other  cool fabrics.   Then, I came up with my own pattern for aprons. I just took an apron and placed it some paper and outlined it. Simple to make.  I made the back side out of fabric of it made of  music note fabric.  The groom to be is a big music head and I think he turned his wife to be into one too. I also had left over guitar fabric (he plays the guitar) it so I "re purposed it" (as Vern would say) I bought the floral because I thought it was cool and hip as this bride to be is.  Then I had left over so I made them into pot holders. I placed everything in the tote bag and I went green for the shower. Ride on.

 I put all of this stuff into the tote bag and made my own card.  (Go green) Some of MY favorite things were the napkins from IKEA  (I love that place) The spatulas were what they had registered for the knives were just cool colors so I had to buy them and the plastic bags were also some of my favorites from IKEA (I love that place) I also threw in the chip clips from IKEA (I love that place)  because I love those too. This was really fun and special for me.  I am planning on making a quilt for the wedding gift.  Oooh la la

 This is the picture they sent me the night of their shower.  I think they like the aprons.  I was  just tickled to see this picture. Thanks happy couple you touched me. :)

Market Bags

The heat about killed me this summer.  Too hot and too many days of this too hot stuff! So, I started going through my scraps and making market bags. They are different sizes and shapes. The handles are approximately 30 inches long.  They work. I met some college friends I lived with 31 years ago in beautiful Bloomington, IN and had each friend pick one out.  They now have a market bag and a memory.  I like that. Oh, and the weather has changed.  I like that too!

Peaceful Abigail

I think she likes it!

Abigail

 This blanket was made for Abigail Sophia.  All I did was take some scraps and  throw them together.  This fits the mothers personality we're not so sure about the newborns.

                                                                    The back side.

 After realizing Abigail was getting all of the attention, I felt like older sister Hannah should get something also. So, I  took a pair of old jeans and cut them into three inch squares. Then, I sprayed basting spray on the square and attached fun, hip fabric on to them so that they matched. After realizing  they needed something to be put in, I  made a fun, hip bag.  Now big sister can play with her friends on rainy and hot days!

Lets play a game!

After seeing a picture of my great niece on a pink and brown fleece blanket for the 4th of July I went into sewing mode.  I thought that if they were waiting for the 4th of July parade to get started  they should have something to keep them occupied.  So I made a checker board that holds real checkers.  In the middle there is a tic-tac-toe board.  At the other end there is a game board I made that has kids do many inter-active moves. The game board can be played with buttons I provided.  (Clever I know)I had it quilted just like a quilt.  I also left more on one end by the game board so that more people can sit around it and play. I think I thought of everything.

Red, White and Blue on My Porch

 This was my quick fix to some scraps and and a Happy 4th of July design. I  took my red, white and blue scraps and made them into flags.  All I did was cut them out and put a design stitch around it and voila.  Then, I added a strip of white fabric around the top that held them together.  The strip was made similar to binding.  I sewed them together about three inches a part and I love them! They added to my front porch and made it seem like my house should be on a lake on the east coast!  I even caught someone walking down the street admiring them. Happy 4th of July!

 My flowers put in little pots just waiting to bloom.

From the outside.

Pretty Flowers

When ever these flowers bloom I now it is the end of summer.  When summer ends I feel excited as to I know I will be ready to sew again and knock off a few quilts along with coming up a home made gift that all my friend will give me that look like ,"Are you kidding me?" Oh well, sometimes that is just the way it goes

T & S

 Boy do I have a story for you. This quilt was made as a request for a wedding gift from another couple.  It is very hard for me to make a quilt for someone when you don't have much information on the person.  I had shown them the picture of a quilt on my bed that I thought may be similar to what they were looking for. The seemed to like it but added the following information.

Their style is modern craftsman/ Frank Loyd Wright -type. styles; earthy colors (moss green, stone etc.) They also like traveling to Mexico if that helps with the theme.  They also like music, bowling, have two pets (dog and cat).

All I could think of was................ HELP!

 Oh and they wanted a T & S on it.  I had never done this before and let me tell you I did some soul searching on this one. First, I tried to talk them out of it because the way I thougth I would have to do it was to make it the size of each each square and that is all they would see when they looked at the quilt.  I even asked if I could put it on the back. Of course the answer was no. :(  So smart husband jumped in and made the letters below on the computer and I sewed them on .I liked the style because it was soft.  I wanted them to be quiet so they would not eat up the quilt. I think I could do cool things with letters now. Thanks Bob! After I mailed it out with my fingers crossed,  I received the following email.

  Got it. You nailed it. It's exactly what as we imagined and will be perfect for their home. It's           completely awesome. They'll love it as much as we. Check is in the mail.

  Thanks!

  Pat

Amen to that!