Thursday, June 30, 2011

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Selvage Quilt Border

I love, love, love a wild border on a quilt, and I think the reason that the selvage quilt has sat pinned to my sewing room wall so long is that it just needed that finishing touch, a wild border.  So I have wrestled with the quilt, and came out victorious in the end!  And I love the results, now, how to quilt?  Hmmmm?

Click on the link to find my original post on this fabric called "Wild Garden" .  I simply cut a wider selvage than normal, 3" and then wrestled it onto the selvage quilt.  I only had a 1/4" seam allowance, but many pins later I had the look I wanted. 








 


We are having a rainy day here in Reno, a nice little change.  We should have a warm weekend for the holiday... can it really be the 4th of July already?

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Lake Tahoe with a FINISH too!

Up at Lake Tahoe this weekend for my son's basketball tournament, and I planned ahead, which in itself is amazing.  I made the binding for my original Horsey Quilt (click to see prior post) and completed the quilt between games.  I was emailing my blog friend Em and as she said having our own little sewing circle, how fun!  So here photos...

I always forget just how beautiful Lake Tahoe is, when you drive up the highway and finally see that blue, there is nothing like it in the world.


A great t-shirt sold in a local eatery...


My proud accomplishment, binding complete.



Enjoy your new quilt Ruthi:




Have a great Tuesday.


Friday, June 24, 2011

Lone Star Scrappy

I could not leave those lone star scraps sitting on that table, so viola!





and

a Lone Star Update!


Thoughts on the blue border?

Off to my weekend!




Thursday, June 23, 2011

Milo's Quilt

Back in my pre-blogging days I made a quilt for baby Milo, son of my good friend Amber, and I DID NOT take any pictures, that seems so odd. I was probably madly trying to finish the quilt! Amber sent me a present today, fun pics of Milo's quilt. I made the quilt a little over a year ago, as Milo recently celebrated his first birthday! Amber's only request for the quilt, "owls." 





Cool pieced back...


Milo in action, you are too cute Milo!



Thank you for the pictures Amber.

Lone Star Quilt Update... it is coming right along, more pics this weekend... Happy (almost) Friday!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Not Sure Where I'm Going with this...

I had sudden inspiration the other evening in of all places, my laundry room.  I have a small wonky log cabin quilt hanging in my laundry room and every day as I walk by it I think that I need to make another wonky log cabin in zanier, wilder colors.  This quilt was one of my first projects and is, well, ho, hum.  Here's a corner:





A little more of the quilt from a very odd angle, it's difficult to snap pictures in a laundry room!
So the story goes, everyday when I walk by this quilt, I plan that new wonky log cabin, a la Freddy Moran colors.  Then suddenly I think, how about a selvage quilt log cabin?  So I shoot across the hall to the sewing room and get to work. And here's my creation.




I ended up using black and white selvages for two sides and multi-colors on the other two sides, not
pre-planned, like most of my sewing, just kind of happened.

And my favorite selvage on this block:



We'll see where this journey goes!

My son Cort and I have set up our summer cots on the back porch tonight, our first real summer evening, the stars are shining and the crickets are chirping, what fun.  Goodnight. zzzzzzzzz

Click HERE to see finished Log Cabin Selvage Quilt!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Lone Star

Making progress on the Lone Star project, had a couple of quiet hours last night and made them count.  The diamonds in the quilt are 4 1/2 inch strips, so it goes fairly quickly.  I figure I'll begin with this larger size lone star and see if I can get it together without too many issues, I know they can be kind of tricky, then I'll try a smaller size.  I really want to make a purple and green lone star, like the old lone star quilt shown in an earlier post.  I can just envision that quilt with a modern purple and green fabrics.  Another quilt to add to my ever growing list!  Here's how it's going....







I'm starting to sweat setting in those squares... I'm great at straight stitching! 


A big shout out thank you to Em Celebrates and Quiltdivajulie for all the press, I really appreciate it.

Happy weekend.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

T-Shirt Quilt

This seems to be the year of the t-shirt quilt, another one finished for Coach Dave's son, a lacrosse player.  (I must tell you the t-shirt quilts have invaded my sewing room with stacks of boxes in this corner and that corner... a promise here, another one there and viola... boxes everywhere!) This quilt is very similar to the quilt made for my daughter's softball team shown here.  Without further ado....




Here's to F-R-I-D-A-Y!!!!!! Yippee!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Family Inspiration Part II

More info on my great, great grandmother quilter; her name was Tinsey Garren, born in Georgia and  known as Ma by family. She married M.C. Miller on Sept 22, 1889 in Gilmer County, Georgia.  Imagine that 1889!!!!!  All our cabin quilts are hand pieced and still used today, they must be 100 years old, or close anyways.  Thanks for all the info Mom!

Lone Star Inspiration



And some modern day inspiration, my neice Grace turned 9 yesterday, here she is with her doll, both decked out in new birthday dresses made by her mom (my sister) Beth.  Both Mom and my sister Beth are wonderful seamstresses, a talent I do not share with them.  (shhhhh, don't tell them but I am still attempting to lure them both into the addicting quilting world!!!)


I think Beth may have talent as a photpgrapher as well.  Love it!


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Family Inspiration

Sew, we have a small summer cabin located in the Sierra Nevada mountains built by my great grandfather's own hands.  Needless to say, it is probably my favorite place in the WORLD!  And on the bed in the cabin are hand made quilts, made by my great, great grandmother.  (yes, two greats, the quilts are OLD and lumpy and lovely as you will see.)

My favorite pattern, and apparently one of my great, great grandmother's favorite patterns is the Lone Star.  Sooooooo, long story short, I had an inspiration to begin a new quilt, and decided on a Lone Star with a modern twist....

 Here are some pics from the quilt made by great, great grandmother.  You can see that scrappy runs in the family generation after generation!





And here is the beginning of a modern version, this will be a single Lone Star, approximately 72" square when completed. 



And totally unrelated, a sneak peak for Coach Dave.... almost done!  (Really, I promise.)



I'm happy to be back to my sewing room, and blogging again too!


Thursday, June 9, 2011

AHEM..... there is more.

Also from last Saturday...


I find that I do not usually buy yellow, but could not pass this up, even more vibrant "in person."


Another dot....




And I was taken with this as soon as I walked in the door.  It is a large print, which I am partial too, especially for quilt backs.



Awesome selvage.


A spring morning here... finally.



Have a wonderful Thursday.





Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Quilt Labels

Along with fabric last weekend, these cute little labels found their way into my shopping bag.  My mom actually found them and said we had to have them; her labels for knitting projects and mine for quilts.  They are called Tag-It-Ons.



This one on one of my Horsey Quilts says Sweet Dreams though kind of difficult to see.




Here's all three labels that we purchased.



Isn't that PS I Love You cute!  Hope you're having a great week!








Saturday, June 4, 2011

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!


I have spent a wonderful Saturday with my parents at their house in California... and while here, guess what I found?  Fabric that will definitely wake you up and make you smell the coffee.  Do you ever find fabric that makes your heart skip a beat and jump up and down for joy?????




Appropriately named...


and with a lovely selvage.


What could be better?  I am thinking wild border (with selvages included for my selvage quilt here and here.)  Also maybe some for the back as well, we'll see.