The Friendship Bag

I found this tutorial on a blog called p.s.iquilt. It was so cute I had to give it a try. I used scraps from a wall hanging I made so I didn't have to invest in any new fabric (**rats**!). I think I am going to make a bunch of these. I am also going to try a larger version as a lunch tote.

Iron Cupcake and the Cupcake Apron

My daughter, Jen enters a monthly contest called Iron Cupcake. Each month there's a specific theme, such as liquor, savory, spice, fruit, etc. for each month.

During the last month that she competed the theme was vegan/gluten free so she made a s'more cupcake with flourless chocolate cake cupcake in a graham cracker crust with homemade marshmallow topping. They were delicious. So I made her this cupcake apron to wear at the competitions.

Good Morning Pillow

I love to go through the clearance buttons. It's like an adventure to see what I can find, and not just for the cuteness or the deals but for how they can spark the imagination. I found some Mary Engelbreit buttons for 50 cents and I had to make something to attach them to. The buttons are on the back and now they seem pretty boring compared to this design so I didn't bother to include a photo of the buttons, just the inspiration from them.

A Thimbleberries Quilt

I don't know why I am compelled to make quilts in dark shades in August. But the colors are gorgeous, I love the dark reds, greens and blues. My all time favorites are the beiges though. Maybe on some subconscious level I try to work color into my beiges. It could be that the pastels of spring have worn out their welcome for me. Although I will never tire of the warm weather season. I guess I should try working with summer colors one of these days.

I always have company when I'm quilting. My kitty loves to pounce the thread as I baste the layers together. He constantly breaks my thread. So I usually have a few needles threaded and ready to go so when he wants to play, I'm ready.

He is a great quilting companion.

Catalog Copy

I saw a quilt just like this one in a Pottery Barn catalog. I loved how the colors were like a rainbow, soft, and flowing through the color wheel. And the white background is a great contrast, crisp and clean against the softness of the pastels. So instead of ordering the quilt, I made my own version. The really cool thing is that I only used fabrics that I had in my stash, except for the white. I didn't have enough white to complete something this size.

Sampler Wallhanging

I took a quilting class for fun and the first suggested project was this sampler. It was a great opportunity to make a bunch of different kinds of quilt squares. I used one of Debbie Mumm's fabric collections to complete the project and I used the leftover scraps to make the backing. I learned a good technique to attach a rod pocket to the back in order to make this into a wall hanging.

I've been making quilts since seventh grade but since most of what I know about quilting was self-taught, I thought it would be a good idea to see what I could learn. It felt good to discover that I knew more than I thought, good validation and it gave me more confidence. I did pick up a few new tricks and techniques so it was a worthwhile investment. It also gave me incentive to keep on quilting.

Pink Lemonade Quilt

My favorite colors are yellow and pink but not necessarily in that order. I found this wonderful quilt pattern and whipped up this lap quilt. It's made with hourglass blocks and Irish chain blocks, pretty simple. I call it pink lemonade. It's backed with a traditional pink-white striped fabric that looks like the old fashioned ticking fabric found on mattresses and pillows years ago.

Kitty Quilt

I fell in love with this fabric full of kitties and doggies. Some of the coordinating pieces have little paw prints and many of them are varieties of blues, reds, blacks and whites with adorable cats and dogs.

So what does one do with this kind of fabric?

Make the kitty a quilt of his own. And as you can see, he likes it.