Star Light-Star Bright

I finished a small child's quilt...more like a warm wrap for a baby.  The top is pieced in several star blocks that were designed by Jean Biddick.  I took a "Picky Piecing' class from her and I really learned alot from the techniques that she uses.  My points are as close to perfect as I can get them.  I also learned setting into the 'y' section...a challenge!

One thing that has always made life hard is when the star points all converge in the middle and you get a bit of a pucker.... well in each star formation there is not a 'pucker' YEA!!! 

I went through my stash of fabrics to make this quilt and was happy to even have some materials left over.  The finished size of the quilt is 38"x38".

The quilting was done in the embroidery hoop. I chose a star motif and with the use of the embroidery machine and hoop it was a perfect fit.  Bill had a new grand neice recently born and a nephew's wife is due in Novemeber so I suspect one of them will be the recipient of this quilt. Perfect for our Arizona temperatures- we don't get too cold.

Mom's birthday

It has been a great week, I worked in a happy and friendly environment, with no drama. I was able to sew at home and get some projects completed,  as well as going on errands and dining with my Mom. Yesterday Bill and I took her to El Charro restaurant for her Birthday dinner....88yrs old. She is feeling good and for the most part tolerating her aging years well.
I have been planning and working on a quilt for her for the last 6months. This quilt was a Kit fabric and pattern are Bernatex. the designs on the quilt are embroidered and was quilt-embroidered in the hoop as well. It measures 64x64".
Bill took the picture with me trying to hold it up in the air, and so it isn't hanging so straight, nor is there a close up of the embroidery, however, I will get a photo as it lays on her bed.

Happy Birthday MOM.

Some new projects

Hi,

I recently attended Bernina University in San Antonio Texas; with shop owner- Nina Keck, and co-workers Marsha Barnes and Jean Hoagland.  We had a ball...but not only that we were smothered in projects to do and lessons to learn.... makes you realize how overwhelmed some of your students might feel when sitting down to a new task.  So I am taking note of that and preparing my classes a bit differently from here on.


Jean, Marsha, Nina and Me




Me, Jean & Marsha at The Alamo




Our name badges



new embroidery design



Bag front



Bag back

Half of me (I guess) on the River Walk cruise

These are a few photos from the trip and the projects that I have done, there are more, but the final touches are not done so I am not showing them yet.  You will have to wait for a part two of this blogging moment.

Mystery Quilt

What is a Mystery Quilt you ask?  I did too.  I never understood how the term Mystery could be related to a quilt, but I found out.  I took a class at the Quilter's Market quilt shop in Tucson last month. They were held on 2 consecutive Friday nights.

close up view of one block

So when I signed up for the quilt class, I asked for the supply list.  The 1st clue was the only thing listed, I was direceted to  chose yardage for the dark, medium and light fabrics. Ok, so 3 fabrics are chosen out of my stash.  Luckily I had enough yardage of a dark purple tone on tone print, orange/yellow batik print for medium, and an offwhite tone on tone fabric.  I think this was the hardest part of the task, as I had no final product to look at and was unsure how the pieces would be put together, so as the clues progressed during the class time, we could see the progress.  A lot of piecing and strip sewing.  A lot, and I mean a lot of ripping out seams, since I managed to sew a whole section of the quilt the wrong direction.  Well yesterday,  I finally got the top pieced completely together,  I am thinking of adding the 'optional' border so that it will be a larger quilt. 

By the way, if you want to make a Mystery Quilt join me next May for an Alaskan cruise with the Mystery Quilt teachers Jean Biddick and Jo Cady-Bull on our Quilt Retreat at Sea Mystery Cruise  Pass the link on http://www.quiltretreatatsea.com/ and come on aboard.

T- Shirt Quilt

This quilt was made for Charles Schall.  He served in Vietnam in the 60's/70's. He flew in a 2 person plane called the Grumann OV-1 Mohawk. It was a surveillance plane.  He was the spotter not the pilot. You can read about this plane on the following website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_OV-1_Mohawk 
Mr. Schall has been attending the annual reunions for the last 22 yrs and has saved his t-shirts.  He heard that I make memory quilts and asked me to do his t-shirts into a quilt.
The final quilt measured 68"x82". The t-shirts were stabilized and the sashing and backing  was a marbled chocolate brown cotton fabric.
I love doing memory quilts as they bring such good feelings and happy memories to those who receive them.

This picture is of Mr and Mrs Schall on the day they picked up their quilt from me.    Mr. Schall attends the Veterans day celebrations in Las Vegas NV every year, and marches in a  parade along with around 100 other members of this organization.

Sushi

This project is leftovers from my table topper.  I entitled it Sushi, because it reminds me of the orient, and I used a bamboo dowel to hang it with.  Sushi just came to my mind.  If I had long chopsticks they would have been a perfect hanging tool...

Any way, after I made all those wedges for the table topper, and had so many odd shaped wedges left I thought I would just stitch them together.  The orginal thought was that I would then use the sewn pieces as my fabric piece and probably make placemats, instead when they were all strewn in a row I really liked the look.  So I finished it as it was.  

The 3 layers are sewn together in pillowcase fashion. I then used decorative stitching to do the quilting.  I love the finished look and it looks great on my wall.

Bill's Birthday

Yesterday was Bill's birthday, he says he's now 17.  You figure it out.  However, he doesn't act or look his real age- at least not to me.  So what to get the guy, every year same question. Of course you make him a Grillin' Apron. This year I found this cute idea on Embroidery Library http://www.emblibrary.com/ and since it was a free project idea I made it.
 April 12th was his day. The sun was bright and warm, 75 degrees at 5pm.  We sat outside on our patio with friends Dorothy and Tom Rice (whom we have to say goodbye to for another winter season has ended) and he cooked Filet Mignon for us.  YUM YUM.

 This apron was pre-made and purchased, I took off the pocket, and made a newer one that would hold the tools. Then I embroidered on the bib section a design of a yummy hamburger and a bottle of ketchup.

 Here is the final project Rolled up it is a Grill Tool Tote. The place for the handles is on the inside of the apron and when rolled up I embroidered the personalization " BBQ King Bill". 
This coming saturday I am teaching this class at Hearts and Hands quilts http://www.heartsandhandsquilts.com/ in my monthly embroidery class.  Just in time for all my students to make a Father's Day gift.

Happy Birthday Bill  I love you.