Is it really fall?

Looking at my blog I realized it has been almost 3 months since I last posted.  Did I set out to go so long?  No, I can assure you I had every intention of updating on at least a monthly basis, or more frequently.  One of the hazards of getting older is that it seems they speed up time ... every day I rarely cease to be amazed at how fast the day flew by.  Remember when you were a kid and the days just drug on and on and on?

Well, I can say one thing and that is I have been very busy!  One very large accomplishment - and a few smaller ones.

Here's another baby quilt I made with Baby Einstein fabrics - just adorable!  It was a gift & the parents just loved it.  Again, the challenge is to make it 100% from my stash - which required a little creativity on the back, but the result is adorable!

Baby Genius

I had a lot of fun piecing this quilt & it sure to be enjoyed by the little boy it was made for!

Pics below show block close-ups & you can see the quilting - which also was a lot of fun!

Didn't the back turn out adorable?

Denim shirt with Eagle
over the pocket

I have also been enjoying my embroidery machine - very, very much!  It is fun & so creative.  

There are soooo many things that you can create & decorate with embroidery... Like shirts....

I'm still going to make a couple more, plus a few other harvest related items before moving on to just Christmas, but it sure has been fun!  The pillow covers are made "sham" style so that they can be removed, washed & easily stored for next season.  Goal?  Set of pillow covers for each season.  Sure is fun & so easy to do!

Enough for now .... at least enough so you can see that The Adventure's In Quilting continue!

Til next time,

Margaret
a.k.a. Aunt Mag

Adventures in Quilting July 2010

Well, the past month has definitely been an adventure!  If you had told me even six months ago that I could make a quilt in one week.... two quilts in less than two weeks I would have looked at you like you had tentacles coming out of your head.  But, that is exactly what I did!

PRAYER WITHOUT CEASING


I wanted to make something for a friend for her birthday and was going to do something simple, like a table runner.. nice gift, right?  Well, after praying about it I felt impressed that God wanted me to make her a prayer quilt.  So... I found the perfect pattern.  Just happened to have all the fabric in my stash (just happened to?  there are certainly no coincidences with God!!) and ended up with this lovely quilt.  It is called "Prayer Without Ceasing."  Did she love it?  Oh, yeah!  It is a treasure and such a blessing.....



Where the Home Fires Burn


Well, God wasn't finished with me, I was contemplating what to give my dear husband for his birthday.  Once again, God had some serious plans for me.  Make him a quilt!  What?  I have less than a week!!.  However,  I was thinking about what to do with all these lovely, super organized strips I have, and found a great pattern on Quiltville for a scrappy bargello.  Well, total scrappy is very hard for me to do - but between my stash & the 2.5" strip bin I had everything I needed to create the quilt.  A friends stash (challenge - don't spend any $$) turned up the perfect backing and voila - a fabulous quilt. I amazed myself that I was able to literally complete this quilt in 4 days of sewing.  Ok, I was seriously challenged, but found out I CAN do this!  And, my stash is a little lighter.  Oh, and my husband was absolutely ecstatic that I made a quilt FOR HIM!  He travels a lot & this was just right for him to have a little "comfort" from home.


BABY CAMO??

On to the next challenge:  A baby camo quilt!  Well, my colorful, creative mind had a very difficult time wrapping baby and camo in the same sentence, let alone in a baby blankie.... Can anyone say S-T-R-E-T-C-H?  So, I found a shop with lots of landscape and camo fabrics - but finding something suitable for baby.. well, I did find some nice fabrics & with the help of some creative friend's input was able to create this cute "Fence Rail Camo" quilt.  It's not exactly camo, but it had the outdoors look & feel.  The backing however, a great camo looking batik, was just perfect.  So, the parents to be (and most importantly, the granparent's, a.k.a. the customer) were just delighted!  Phew! Another challenge done!

Along with that, I did get to make something that just was a delight to make.... such a happy baby quilt!  I fell in love with the Butterfly Fling panel & fabric collection the first time I saw it.  It just sang out "little girl" and QUILT ME!  I could just see those butterflies dancing on the fabric.  When a customer asked me to make then a little girl "blankie" I practically jumped for joy!  Not question what I was going to do - my stash had been waiting for the day....

Baby Butterfly Fling was born! Oh, this was an absolute delight & joy to make!  It is definitely a happy quilt.  The new mom seemed delighted as well! Truly, quilting is a labor of love!  Even the challenges bring joy & delight!


STUDIO TOUR


Last, but certainly not least!  The studio!  It's finished and my new HQ Avante on the Professional Frame is setup and is seeing plenty of action!  Would you like a quick tour?  

Welcome to Aunt Mag's Quilting Studio!


Come with me to take a peek inside...


You can see my beautiful new machine.  She doesn't have a name yet.... 

and she sews beautifully!  This is a Quilt of Valor that is finally finished and ready to ship back so that it can be given to a wounded soldier.  Such a blessing to give something to someone who has laid his life down for our country!

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of my studio.  I've got a ways to go making "personal" but that will come with time.   As you can see there is ample room for storage & other machines.  I have a desk, and tables for my serger & embroidery machine also.  Lots of creativity happening in the studio.

On to more "Adventures in Quilting!"

Adventures in Quilting ... the saga continues

Well, if you follow this blog you know now that it has been a very long while since I've posted an update....life took a right turn & has had me moving full steam ahead, with little time to do things like update blogs - but, it looks like life will now resume its more sedate pace, for which this quilter is thankful!


Will all that said, I've still been very busy in the quilting room!  My studio is all but finished - pictures will be forthcoming and my new HandiQuilter Avante is all setup...  Here's some of what I've worked on in the past few months . . .

This is an original creation that I had an idea for and just absolutely love!  The colors are so cheerful & bright. this now graces my kitchen table and I tell you, it makes me smile every morning.  The corner blocks are part of "Margaret's Insanity."  Yes, I really went insane when I chose this design.  I wanted to practice template work... well, with 54 pieces in each 9" block - I think I got my practice in!!  Here's an up close of the quilting on the sunflowers & the rooster.  Loved quilting the roosters tail!!

 

Here's a Quilt of Valor that I finished.  I loved doing this because it was made by two girl scout troops.  Being a former girl scout myself it was very special for me to be privileged to quilt this!   Didn't the girls do a great job with the piecing?

Over the past few months I've spent quite a bit of time taking care of these two precious babies.  Tommy on the left & Mike on the right.  They're about 9 months in this photo... we have so much fun together.  My great-nephews are truly miracle boys!  Life is sweet!

I enjoyed quilting this one for a customer.  This is her second quilt & she did a fabulous job piecing it.  

I really enjoyed quilting it and am quite pleased, as is she with the quilting...
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Here's a memory quilt that I made for a customer.  I just absolutely love the way it turned out.  It was for her son's graduation gift.  Is this special or what?  I truly enjoy making this type quilt.  Super fun!!

and lastly....

I had the opportunity to take a piecing class from DeLoa Jones.  This is her original pattern called "Rose Log Cabin."  It still needs a couple of borders, but is lovely just as it is.  I never realized that a day at a class could be like a mini-retreat!  Especially when you're doing something you love & surrounded by folks who share your passion.  Such a total blessing.

Well, this is certainly not everything I've done in five months, but at least partly catches me up.... 

So, now I am back off to continue my Adventures in Quilting....

Quilters Accontability

Well, last week's goal was to get the borders on the Bella Rosa quilt & quilt two tops.  End result... finished the baby quilt on the longarm, only lacks binding, but can't add the binding till I finish Bella Rosa.  Status?  Last border is cut and one side attached.  There are 4 borders and only the last one remains.  This is one of my least favorite tasks, especially for a quilt this large, so setting the goals and not allowing myself to proceed with anything else till it's done is what it takes to finish..... Okay, so it is Monday.  The backing for Homestead Hydrangeas (my oldest UFO) is loaded on Maxine... well, nearly, anyway - closest it's ever been to actually being completed. LOL!  

So, for this week: 

 << Bella Rosa one side with 4th border

1.  Finish Bella Rosa AND piece the backing so that it is ready for the longarm.... it can't be quilted right now as Maxine's new home is on hold for a couple of months. 

2.  Quilt Homestead Hydrangeas

3.  Bind Kaleido-Zip baby quilt and gift.  I just love the way it came out... so cute.... here's a close up of the quilitng:

4.  A little play time.... time to make a couple more blocks in my scrappy Pinapple Blossoms quilt (http://quiltville.com/pineappleblossom.shtml) 

. . . and then to create a table topper from my stash.... :) Whoo hoo!  Play time - so close!

Okay, this means I'll have to really stay focused.  I am determined that those borders will be done tonight!  Maybe, just maybe, I'll get the Girl Scout Troop's QOV loaded before the week is done?  

An so continues my Adventures in Quilting,