In a Groovy Space

 

The wedding dress quilt was delivered Thursday, and a shower present is completed.  That means I have no deadlines, which is a wonderful place to be in the studio.  Since the Debbies turned me on to Marcia Derse fabrics at the last retreat, I've been accumulating.  And this week I finally am cutting into them and have a plan in mind.  This quilt will be alternating pieced and whole blocks, all of them 6" x 12".  So simple even I can keep track of the math!   The scraps are even attractive!

I know this picture doesn't look like much. But it's the beginning of my "Modern in the City" challenge. The inspiration photo taken by FB buddy Brian Jones is not very clear in the picture, purposely. But I've got an idea and think I know how to execute it. What a luxury to have this idea and the space to play around with it while I work on other things.

Back to playing!

Here's the shower present I made for my cousin's daughter - an insulated food carrier. The most special thing about this present is that the spoon was made by my cousin Jerry.

So Stinkin' Cute!

When I use the words "so stinkin'" cute, I'm usually talking about a baby - Beth's Mina and Tessa, neice Jen's baby Henry, niece Laura's little ones. But this time I'm going to use these words about a table runner I just made. This is so stinkin' cute!  It is 52" by 17".  The batting I used was InsulBrite, which means this table runner can also serve at a hot pad.  Here's how this runner started yesterday:

I started with 2.5" strips, a total of 8 reds and a total of 8 greys.  Then I stripped them together.  Fellow guildster Terri told me about this clever use of strips by Three Dudes - and this link is on You Tube.  I've been wanting a new table runner, and this seemed like the perfect occasion to try this technique.  I used scraps on the back of this runner - the Mo Household needs both sides of table runners.  I may add some more quilting later.  Meanwhile, this is so stinkin' cute!

(A special thanks to Holly, Melissa, and Mimi who gave me some of these fabrics!)

Wedding Memories

This little bed topper is 60"  by 60" and was commissioned by my dental hygienist.  I have known Bev for 10 years.  She knows my parents and their journey, and I heard of her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis.  Bev's daughter married last summer in Michigan, but they also made a special trip to Florida and had a small ceremony with Bev's parents prior to the big wedding.  And shortly thereafter Bev's mother died.  This quilt is a combination of a wedding dress, the grandmother's blouse, and the grandfather's shirt.  The black is the blocks is from the sash of the wedding dress.  This is a sweet project, and I am pleased to have worked with Bev and her daughter on this. 

The back of the quilt features a 15" square from the bride's dress, surrounded by the black sash.

These six blocks helped Bev to decide she wanted 9

The quilt all pin-basted and ready for quilting

My Aragon Bag and My Fabric Crush

Yes, I just made a bed quilt for myself from these fabrics.  Now I've made a carry-on bag.  And I have a couple of leftovers - perhaps a zippered pouch?This Aragon Bag is a pattern of Sara Lawson at Sew Sweetness.  I've made several of her patterns, and I love them.   My Chicago Modern Quilt Guild had Sara for a workshop Saturday.  What a lovely day with some wonderful quilty peeps.

Sara is a great instructor - she had little demo bits for each step of the way and wasn't at all flustered by how independently we work or by how over or underprepared we all were. There's great attention to detail with this bag.  One side of the bag has a curved pocket and magnetic flap.  The other side has a zippered pocket.  Both of these details hide the raw edges of the handles.  Both sides have a little elasticized pocket - perfect for keys, phone, pacifiers, water bottles - you get the idea.  

I usually don't show the interior of a bag, but I must with this one because of the technique for finishing.  So many bags construct the bag and lining separately.  But this pattern treats them as one piece.  The problem is all the messy seams are visible from the inside and must be covered with double-sided bias tape.  I bought the wrong item at Joann's - single bias tape.  So I wound up making bias tape from my bag lining.  Yesterday I attached it by hand, and I am so impressed with how neat the interior of the bag is.  Notice one side of the interior has another zippered pocket.  The other side has two elasticized pockets.  Very practical and easy to use. 

My new favorite tool is evident on this last photo: clips! So much easier than pinning!  I love that I've added some new techniques to my purse-making repertoire.  Saturday's workshop was a great reinforcement of why it's important to read every word of directions - something I'm still learning.  I did made a pretty serious mistake but was able to figure out a work-around by channeling Tim Gunn and making it work!  I'm pretty thrilled with how this bag turned out!

Quilty Goodness

The founding president of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Mary P has a blog titled Quilty Goodness (Mary has since moved to Austin, and we miss her!).  Her blog title is so appropriate for this week. Grandson Ben's quilt is finished, and he's thrilled with it.  My long armers, Frank and Terri of T and F Quilting Studios, did a rush job - so greatly appreciated.  And Terri sent me to our son's house with a chicken-noodle dish and chocolate chip cookies.  I keep thinking about Natalie Merchant's song, "Kind and Generous People" - I know so many kind and generous people.  Perhaps the kindest of all is my sister-in-law Kim who cares for my parents.  Kim and her 7-year old granddaughter started this quilt, and the Good Quilting Fairy has stepped in to finish this quilt along with a pillow case.

Front of Ben's Quilt - Large stipple quilting

John found some NBA Bulls fabric for the back of the quilt. 

Amelia's first quilt - 60" x 70"

Back of Amelia's Quilt

A quilted pillow case - The Dark Side

A quilted pillow case - the Bright Side

The Good Quilting Fairy has several projects she needs to work on and projects she wants to work on.  But for these dark, sub-zero days, working on Amelia's quilt was just what she needed to be doing!

Some Monday Love

I'm a lucky girl for many many reasons.  Each one of the following reasons has to do with my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild - we had a terrific meeting yesterday.  The first love involves this quilt which I just got back from my favorite long-arm quilters, Frank and Terri Karls.  At the request of my husband, I asked them for loose quilting in a big Baptist fan design with wool batting so that this quilt would be lofty and warm.  And John put world peace on his request list.  This quilt isn't even bound, but I had to try it out on our bed.  And it's beautiful.  And light.  And lofty.  We'll sleep under it tonight!  

If you look closely, you'll see that Frank did indeed give John his world peace. Below is a detail shot of the Baptist Fan - a wonderful contrast to the straight lines of the front and Asian in flavor. 

I am so pleased with this quilt and love Terri and Frank for their thoughtful work.  They currently have my grandson's NBA quilt - can't wait to get that one back from them!

Second, I love Mimi, Holly, and Melissa.  They give me fabric because they know I will like it.  And they are right.  I am crazy about each one of these.  I may have to take the grey/black/gold piece from Holly and make a RunAround out of it.    I also love Beth - she gave me FOUR FABULOUS chocolate-filled macarons yesterday.  Do you notice there's no picture?  Um, yeah - I ate them.  There are so many fabulous women in our guild. 

Last, I love our current vice-president, soon to be president, of our Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Sarah S.  She may be fabric twins with Holly, but she is music twins with me.   Sarah and I discovered a mutual love for Traffic and Steve Winwood, especially The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys.  We decided to use this as inspiration for a little challenge.  Of course I forgot.  But Sarah?  She dug out the original cover and did this wonderful art quilt.  And I love it.  And her.
She and I are going to Camp Stitchalot next November - I am for sure bringing the music!
(Sarah also made me some chicken rice soup to give to my daughter-in-law.  So nice...)  What a great way to start the week!

Cecilia's Basket and Ben's Quilt, in process

 Cecilia's Crochet Basket has been  delivered and was most happily received.  This basket is designed to hold 8 - 9 skeins of yarn and the project, in its various stages.  This basket stands and has handles so that it can be easily moved.  My basket, the one of the left, has a dark inside, which makes it difficult to locate things.  Cecilia's basket is 8 inches taller and has a lighter lining, so important when looking for things.  This pattern was modified from one in friend Ebony Love's book, Cut It, Sew It, Stow It. 

 Meanwhile, I have been making steady progress on grandson Ben's quilt.  The top is mostly constructed - I'm just adding some red and black borders so that it is an appropriate twin bed size.  For the back of his quilt John found some NBA Bulls fabric at Joann's, and I found a link to the local newspaper from last June, when Ben was the Illinois Free Throw Champion.  I printed this page out onto fabric, and it will also be part of the back of the quilt.  Ben has the best disposition - can't wait to get this quilt to him!

All Kitted and Ready to Sew

In an attempt to quell my frenetic state at this time of year (2014 is new, whole year ahead of us, goals, yadda yadda), I am creating inner peace by getting these projects down on paper.  So to speak.  The first three I am eager to do.  But the last three have immediate deadlines.  This Spectrum kit by Jinny Beyer is calling to me.  It includes 150 6" squares of fabrics prearranged (no, I did not pay full price - just the charm pack was on sale). 

                                                   These Marcia Derse fabrics are wonderful. The design is a pattern from Blue Underground Studios, ECHO.  See below for annotation.

This bundle of Pepper Cory Shot Cottons are ones I bought at Material Girl in Crystal Lake.  I need more of the Oyster, the lightest color, to make this quilt FAST LANE.   This too is a pattern from Blue Underground Studio's book In Love with Squares and Rectangles.  The background will be the Oyster, and the dotted white lines will be the fabulous colors of these cottons. 

Bev, my dental hygienist, had two big things happen with two months.  Her daughter married, and her mother died.  At Bev's daughter's request, we are making a bed throw of the wedding dress and the clothes worn by Bev's parents at a wedding ceremony held in Florida, especially so that Bev's parents could be there. The wedding accent color was black, and we are incorporating a lot of greys and the wedding dress into this Winning Hand design.  I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I know it will be beautiful. 

 Good friend Cecilia saw this basket I when I was testing friend Ebony Love's pattern for her book Cut It, Sew It, Stow It.  Cecilia needs a crochet basket, so I will make this 6 inches taller and think it will be what she will be able to use.  It's a very clever pattern designed by a very clever woman. 

But the last shall be first.  Grandson Ben is getting his first quilt from me.  I don't think I made him a baby quilt.  Is that possible?  Ben is a smart and talented kid with the best disposition and attitude ever.  He's the one we wrapped a present for in a box of Cheetos.  He tore off the paper, saw the Cheetos box, and yelled, "This is great!  I love Cheetos!"  I'm getting busy on this today with the intent of getting it to my fabulous long armers Terri and Frank by next Sunday.  Then Cecilia's crochet basket.  And then the Wedding Grandparent quilt.  And I will save for another post all the UFO's and other projects I want to do in 2014!

Why, Yes!

Seriously,  Mors Bags in Three Stooges Fabric?

Aren't those pattern pieces for the Aragon Bag?

Didn't you just use those same fabrics in a new bed quilt for yourself?

Do you really intend to turn these scraps into a RunAround for Cousin Marian?

Do you love being snowed in at the beginning of a new year?

Big Quilt, In Process

Three Marcia Derse fabrics bought last February at QuiltCon

Testing the design with six 18" blocks Maple Island Big Quilt 1

Loving how this is turning out - still need six more blocks... layout to be tweaked!