More trunk show pictures

As I was taking more pictures today I found more of my trunk show pics.  I am trying to document what I've made and share with dear family members that want to see.  Many of these are from years past or have been seen on the previous post, but my goal is simply to add these pictures to my blog.  So please bear with me...

Both of these quilts were made while living in Missoula, Montana.  I took 12 weeks of Amish Quilts so you might see many Amish quilts.  The other quilt mimicked the skyline we would see from our dining room window.  These were hand quilted and are a treasure.  I don't hand quilt any more.

This is just a bag and my attempt at a mola with decorative thread.

 When I'm making art quilts, something happens in me that brings great delight.  And so in the past few years I've been making more of them. These are two pieces I dearly love. I've got more in the making.

 These four quilts are different kinds of miniatures.  Many of these are one of a kind and only one time.

 This is another Amish quilt on the left, and on the right is a "paint chip" challenge from my quilt guild.  We randomly drew a paint chip and then had to use that color for 90% of the small quilt we were to make.  There are small beads to the right of the moon as constellations...and one is the big dipper.

This is Adelyn's quilt.  Not the best picture but its a two sided quilt.  Lots of color from light shades to dark on one side, and then on the back is a hop scotch pattern and rings around that. I made bean bags with numbers to correspond to the numbers in the hop scotch quilt.  Adelyn loves to sit her "bum" in the big circles.  

This is another Amish quilt that I dearly love.  Reminds me of looking through a window splattered with raindrops.


Thanks for reading my blog.  I have more projects in the making.  Working on a baby quilt for Joanie's baby boy arriving this August, and a quilt for Avery who turns 5 in October, among other projects.

My OWN Trunk Show

I got a wonderful surprise today...my aunties are proud of me and want to know what I'm teaching at Quilt Harbor in Aberdeen.

How this came about was a real shocker for me.  I've asked the Lord to show me what He wants me to do, and as a song puts it "Help me find my proper place".  Well this past January, I was asked to teach quilting classes.  I balked, and was totally stunned at this request.  Then a few weeks later, I was asked again, and what surprised me even more was that it was by someone I really respected.  So in March, I started getting things ready to teach.

The first Friday of every month, the quilt shop has a bit of an open house and stays open late to let customers come to see what will be taught that month.  I was asked to bring along the class examples along with some of my other works.  I was THRILLED.  Joanie and I took a road trip, and we had a wonderful time.

So, all this brings me to my trunk show:

 I've lot art quilts for years, and have fun making wall decorations.

This is the table of mostly class examples. The white
items on the far left are my Freemotion class.  You can't see much.
However in the next picture, that red wallet is decorated with free motion designs

This is Threadpainting I class. In this class
they learn to stitch with a zigzag stitch
to "paint" the fabric. (Not the best example).

This is a bag and we were featuring the "Frozen" fabric

This is Threadpainting II class where we create a landscape using our machines to "paint" and then follow up with some hand stitches. 

There are my pictures my dear family.  I so appreciate your interest.  

I continue working on new projects for upcoming classes. Writing the directions is the most challenging for me.  I can tell you how to do a technique, but somehow writing it down is difficult.

Adelyn's Messenger Bag

My granddaughter went to India for 3 weeks!  Joanie was looking for a bag that would help keep Adelyn busy...

She found a bag on hillmade.blogspot.com and so I wrote to Renae Hill.  Renae was extremely helpful and gave me additional directions beyond her free tutorial!  So generous!

Here are the pictures of the finished bag.  The green bag shown in the first picture was my prototype...Renae's tutorial...

The front of the bag adding a zipper pocket

There is a zippered flap filled with coloring supplies 

I added a little pocket so that a pencil sharpener could be handy

This is the actual inside of the bag with additional pockets and a key fob

This is the back of the bag...with another zippered pocket.

Thanks again Renae, from hillmade.blogspot.com for your encouragement and support!  Nice pattern!

Those unfinished projects....

I'm savoring my quiet home today.  I used to join "Black Friday" shopping and loving the craziness of it all.

But today, as I'm still in my jammies, and sipping coffee, I'm realizing the deep desire within to finish my art projects and create and develop my "art gallery".  I've have many half finished art projects along with dreams, and I feel that this is the time to enjoy the process and see the reality on the wall!

I happened upon this facebook group and I'm joining!  Should be a great ride and how fun for me to enjoy my varied creations. 

November 15th, 2014
Been making Busy Bags....

If you've never heard of them, well you're in good company.  I hadn't either until I was talking to my daughter.  She would love to make some gifts for her friends with small children.  She had found this link: http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/busy-bag-tutorial/

After checking this out, I offered to make the bags and then she would fill the bags.  She bought fabric at a thrift store and the other items from JoAnns.  I used felt for the batting.

I like how they turned out!

A Friend's Wallet

Funny how time pressures build and deadlines are met, but no pictures are taken.  This has happened so many times in the past year or so, a table runner, a free motion piece for a hutch, a artist piano bench slipcover, but NO SO for the wallet.

Yesterday I quickly pulled the camera out to record this personal victory! Could the wallet have been better...of course.  Would I do some things different on the free motion design and stitching -- you betcha!  But "done is good" and I'm very pleased with the result.  I took some ideas from Sew Mama Sew who features an Arizona Wallet by Teresa at Dandelion Drift (http://www.sewmamasew.com/?s=arizona+wallet).  Thank you Sew Mama Sew and Teresa! 

Planning another wallet but am loving this first attempt!

Here is the front with the friend's initials

The back is a variety of free motion stitching

The owls having been talking to me!

I have a new granddaughter named Alexis Eve, and she is six weeks old today. And she is beautiful! I love being a grandmother and I love giving special quilts to those I dearly love. Just check out my facebook wall.

What started out as a dream and an idea 7 months ago has finally been completed and given as a gift.  I haven't posted anything about it because it was a surprise. Abby saw the pattern last January as I wanted to get her "okay" before making it.  The colors are some of Abby's favorites, and so I began.

The idea to add ribbons for tags came one day as I was dreaming and working on the quilt. This way Alexis will be able to enjoy it as a floor quilt for tummy time. My goal was to make each owl with a different personality along with different colors, etc.  Then one day, one owl seemed so excited about her red shoes, and so I named the quilt "Did you see my new red shoes", and owls being like people and having their own opinions like every person does, each started stating their stance on red shoes.  Sometimes I would laugh as I was sewing because I could hear all their comments.....I guess craziness comes with creativity.

My son's family is represented on the backside of the quilt along with the wacky's (the wacky birds) that live upstairs....and this has no reference to anyone in their apartment building.

As I was thinking about little girl activities, I remembered playing hopscotch as a child, and so I wanted to pass this on to my granddaughters as well.  As of yesterday, Avery was guarding the quilt on her bed until Alexis can protest.  The quilt will be dearly loved and enjoyed...which has been my intent from the beginning. I can't think of a better use for it.

I was concerned about the quilt being too large (it's about 54" square) but my dear daughter-in-law stated that the girls need a floor quilt to play on, and so the size is no problem for which I am grateful.  Its too heavy with applique, etc. to be a cuddly quilt, and it will provide color, and fun for years to come.  Perhaps even a game of hopscotch....

And the last time I heard Avery going to bed, she was asking her mom to recite what each of the owls' were saying about red shoes....that is a great memory for me that I will treasure for a long long time.
 So until there is another grandchild coming, I'm back to making my art quilts.  And if you hear laughter coming from my sewing room, I'm having a marvelous time!