Hot Gift Idea!

I ran across this bowl of potholders on a recent shopping trip. They were cute (and carried a price tag of $20)! I definitely have all the raw materials to construct a few dozen hundred, (I'll bet you do too) that, and a layer of heat-resistant batting and I'm ready to stitch. Who couldn't use a new potholder? So, I grabbed up a few scraps and stitched together my own version. My pieced "top" measured 8.5". I ended up using two layers of the insulated batting (that just felt right!) and did some minimal (in the ditch) quilting through all three layers. I placed this quilted unit on the backing (cut 10.5"), folded the edges down and wrapped them up onto the front, topstitching them in place. I added a loop (tucked it under the folded corner) that was secured at the same time by the topstitching; this entire project, start to finish, took 30 minutes. Then, most important: the test. I used my newly created potholder to remove a pan from a 350 degree oven. Success!

I'll be whipping up a batch of these before the holiday baking begins.

Life is Good!

"Let's Talk" Tuesday...

I have had an idea brewing, to host a forum, or dialog, once a week through this blog, I've decided to call it "Let's Talk" Tuesday. You can pretend we're in my sewing room, chatting about whatever the topic of the day might be. I need to kick off the discussion somewhere, so I'm choosing what we talk about today. I picked a two part question to begin: "how long have you been quilting and why have you continued?" I've been quilting since 1983 when I took my first class to make a sampler quilt. I didn't finish that quilt for two years; it was for my son, and when I finally placed that completed quilt over him, he exclaimed: "it's like being covered with love"! Yes he did, that's true, he was five years old at the time. If that wasn't enough affirmation to continue making quilts for the rest of my life, I don't know what would be! Okay... that, and a room full of fabric and machines collected over the last twenty-five years tell me that there's enough of an investment here to prevent me from ever stopping now! But, in all seriousness, I quilt to this day for the satisfaction of creating something that will live longer than I will; for doing something that can't be undone, like cleaning and cooking. For me, quilting is an expression of who I am and what I want to leave behind; a legacy of love, color, happiness, friendship, and artistic expression all in something tangible and warm that one can wrap themself up in. So, how about you? When did you start quilting and why are you still at it? Throw me out a topic suggestion for next week too, I'll choose one. Let's make this a weekly place where we get together, share ideas about what we're doing and why, and get to know each other a little bit better.

Life is Good!

In Preparation...

…for this weekend’s retreat I have all the crunched up, wrinkled, stashed and stored scraps-of-old neatly pressed and cut into strips. It took me days and days to do this! That’s a big relief, as these were only taking up space, and had been doing so for years. The background triangles and foundation papers are patiently awaiting their place in the bin, too. These will be transformed into String-X blocks, hopefully MANY; I’ll take pictures. I am deeply grateful to Laurie Ann for turning my attention to Bonnie’s blog and the multitude of helpful scrap-reduction patterns available there, Bonnie is a wonder! Check it out, her machine quilting is incredible!

The bin of strips is being accompanied on the trip by the fabrics for setting my BOM from last year! The BOM teacher from our LQS just so happens to be going along, she’s in my small group. Several of the Miss Bee Havens are in need of her assistance in setting theirs, too; at least I’m not alone… I hate being the cheese. I’m bringing her a bottle of wine for her trouble! (Not that I am any trouble, of course!)

All of this work, the cutting and preparing for a weekend away can be quite tiring. My studio assistant dozed off during all the excitement. He crawled up and over the sofa arm to gain this vantage point; when your legs are only 6” high you need to do what you can to see the world outside the windows! Living the life of a German guard dog is so rigorous that naps are a required daily activity!

Update on "Can This Quilt Be Saved"? Quiltkeemosabe helped me figure out that the eye needs a place to rest. I cut out some solid red cornerstones and placed them in position on the design wall... (compare in the photo below). I think this helps enormously. Kyle thinks that this project is dated and should therefore be abandoned. My plans are resuscitation; I think it is worth finishing out with a narrow black inner border followed by a wider red one, it deserves a chance at a FIESTA! life.

Life is Good!

Can This Quilt Be Saved?

I unearthed this quilt “hatchling” while cleaning and reorganizing. I am turning to my friends here in this forum to ask the following questions:

1. Can this quilt be saved?
But, maybe the better question is:
2. SHOULD this quilt be saved? (Or put out of its misery?)
3. How can I calm it down? 4. Make it work?
If you dare, you can click the photo to enlarge the image.
5. Where do I go from here? (It’s OK to say the dumpster... I can take it.)

The facts:

I began piecing this twelve years ago. This hatchling measures 52” X 23.5” and I have enough fabric to finish it as a small bed quilt or throw… more than enough. I stopped for a reason… I don’t know what that reason was now, but I’m guessing it could have been a color-induced headache! I had even jotted a title idea back in 1995, it was folded up with all the materials; so, at the time, I must have been committed to seeing this through…

“Fiesta Cats!”

Help me decide. I have some ideas but didn’t want to influence or stifle any creative suggestions, so I’ve posted the pictures of exactly what I have done so far. What d’ya think?

Life is Good!