Sew & Sew Vinyl Zippered Bag...

I received a free mini charm pack of Sew & Sew fabric by Chloe's Closet when I made an online fabric order.  After watching it sit on my sewing table for a few months, I finally decided to make something practical with it...a zippered, vinyl front bag.

And the back...Rebecca insisted I point out that she sewed the binding down...LOL...

I've made a few of these before and I'm thinking of modifying it to make it two-sided (and come from layer cake squares).  We'll see if I can get it done....

The rainbow quarter log cabin blocks I've been working on are coming along great.  I'm to the "block assembly" stage and I have a few options.  I used my "design floor" to test out some different patterns...

There are quite a few different ways to arrange the blocks (and this is with only 12 blocks)!  I'm leaning towards....well, you'll see!!  Happy Quilting!

A New Idea...

First of all, Happy Holidays to the five people who are following me ;-)  LOL...I seriously need to post more frequently--I think I'd leave myself after so much neglect!!

I made these rainbow mug rugs a few years ago (during my "I'm gonna be a mug rug mogul" phase)...and I use them every day.  But they just sort of blended into the background until a friend's six year old son picked it up yesterday and told me how cool it was... and yes, he is right, it it pretty cool.  I actually have two of them (he didn't see the second one because it was covered in my craft table mess)....

So after the kid left the house, I thought "This mug rug is too cool for me to put my coffee on...what am I thinking??"  Then I thought "Maybe I could make a quilt like this"... using layer cake squares!!  So I grabbed my graph paper and got to sketching...I think I got it!

Now I needed some layer cake squares--so off to the stash I went.  Here is what I pulled (took 3 hours due to the disaster that I jokingly call my "sewing room")... and an interestingly sad movie called "45 Years"...

And a sexy, up-close shot...

I'm gonna work on this a keep you updated.  If looks like it has possibilities, I'll write a little tutorial and show my sketches...

On a side note, I'm doing a serious fabric destash (mostly of fabric that is OOP and I think other people might want a shot at making something from this stuff).  I have some amazing fabric that I never got around to using and now I need to get rid of some stuff.  Check out my Etsy shop destash section...maybe there is something you might like/want/need.... But what I did find in my stash is some cool stuff...

Tons of my favorites by Bonnie and Camille, Kate Spain, Deb Strain, Pam Kitty, Denyse Schmidt, Joel Dewberry, Tula Pink, Amy Butler, etc... All just waiting for some attention.  In the future, you are gonna see a lot more scrap quilts coming from my stash and a lot less fabric being bought from the stores!!  I'm not going to go crazy and keep track of yardage or anything, but let's just say the mail lady is going to forget my name!

So that is my Merry Christmas/Happy Quilting post!  Enjoy your day...we are off to a 24-hour bar and grill called "Henry's" here in Las Vegas for a Christmas Southwest Salad, Ryan will get a cheeseburger, and Rebecca is a wild card (hopefully she gets some crunchy fries for me to steal).

See ya!  And look, Dad, no curse words!!!

Maybellene pattern reboot...

I decided to pull some vintage sheet 10" x 10" squares and 5" x 5" squares and make a reboot of my Maybellene quilt pattern.  I used Kona Ice Frappe for the background fabric...I've also decided to add some "alternate sizes" to my pattern.  I'll upload them here for anyone to download who already purchased the pattern.  And I'll add in these fabric requirements to any future pattern downloads.

This one is 6 blocks by 6 blocks and measures 51" x 51".  I'm not sure what I'll use for backing fabric...I have a ton of vintage sheets, but I like cotton as well....hmmm....

And an up-close shot.  I'm trying to get some bright pictures at the park and Rebecca isn't really appreciating holding the clothesline for me....lol...oh well!!

Anyhow, I guess I'm going to write the alternate size fabric requirements right now...while catching up on some DVR'd shows with Ryan.  Happy Quilting!

Finished Tops....

I've been meaning to get a couple of nice pics outside with these quilts...but time slips away and I fail to gather up some items for picture time.  Today, however, I scoped out a place at the park to hang a clothes line and Rebecca helped me get some decent pics...

First up, my EPP project made with April Rosenthal's Summerfest fabric and a few of my own scraps.  I started it last June, if I recall, and finished it up last month...

And an up-close sexy shot...

The other one I finished up was the "zero fucks" quilt top.  I seriously need to quilt these up over Winter Break....It is a mini-quilt measuring 24" x 30" and is made entirely from thrifted men's shirts.  Upcycled projects just make me happy!!

Anyhow, I'll post up pics again when I get these quilted and some pics of my other projects.  Turns out I have three other WIPs downstairs to finish.  One is a new EPP project, so that is awesome!!  Happy Quilting!

An old favorite...

On the heels of finishing my other EPP project (photos later), I pulled out my Kaffe EPP quilt the other day.  I still need to add in the last four rows of stars...but here it is on the floor last night.

Buddy had to get in on the photo shoot as well....He is so pathetic!!  But we love him <3

It seems like the last time this quilt top came out of the WIP box was January 2015--eeks, almost 2 years ago!!  I took this pic in the backyard waaay back then...

If only I could teach Buddy how to EPP ;-)  This thing would be finished in no time!!  You know, when I started this quilt I thought it would be a "once in a lifetime" quilt... I mean, who would hand sew a quilt together??  But it turns out that EPP is my favorite form of sewing now.  I still use the machine, but I much prefer the slow process of English Paper Piecing any day.  It's funny how things change, right?

 Happy Quilting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are enjoying the week off here at my house...the school district gave all of us (teachers and students) the whole week off this year!  This is the first time for this in the 40+ years I've worked/gone to school in Las Vegas.  I got a chance to take some pics of my red and khaki Gypsy quilt on the porch today...

I really like how this little quilt turned out.  It only measures 36" x 48" and I plan on listing it in my Etsy shop this weekend.  As I turned around to take another pic, Buddy joined in on the fun...

He is a cocky little chihuahua who doesn't know any boundaries where quilts are concerned.  We found him wandering on a major street here in LV about 7+ years ago.  Buddy is super spoiled and the best thing to happen to our family.  And the best part about him is that he never was a chewer...he never damaged anything in the house, or made messes or ruined anything.  He loves to snuggle under quilts and has several of his own.

On another note, I began yet another quilt project/pattern.  Here is the fabric pull for the first attempt...It is a layer cake pattern so I cut layer cake squares (one for each block) and picked the yellow accent color from my stash.  The purple solid might be for the setting triangles around the edges of the quilt.

I also added a bright aqua accent color at the last minute.  This is just a small test run of the pattern...13 blocks and the finished quilt should measure 42" x 42".

Anyhow, I need to go prep some food for Thanksgiving dinner.  Enjoy your holiday!!

Gypsy Quilt Pattern is DONE!

I don't know why it took me so long to finish writing this quilt pattern.  I made the first prototype back in February of 2016, another in June and the final one in September.  Work got in the way and I dropped the ball at getting it finished...but here it is!!  Gypsy is available in my Etsy shop...

It can be made using layer cake squares or charm squares (or scraps!) and multiple sizes are available in the quilt pattern.  The blocks come together quite easily--nothing too difficult.  The cover quilt was made using some of my coveted Soul Blossom fabric...below is an up-close shot of the quilting.  The panto is called Jessie's Swirls and I love the texture it gave the quilt.

I also made it in pastels from Riley Blake's Bloom and Bliss line of fabric....the panto is called Pirouette.

And I made a smaller version last February in reds and khaki...the panto is called Espalier.

I'll get a finished shot with the binding later this week....

Anyhow, I hope you love this pattern as much as I do!  Happy Quilting!

Binary Code quilt progress...

I started this quilt in August (see this post for details) and I've been working on it (slowly) ever since...making little 3.5" zeros and ones.  Today, after pressing some blocks I made yesterday, I realized I had more than enough to make the quilt!! Yeah...  Here it is on the floor...

It will only measure 24" x 30" when it is complete.  The squares finish at 3" each and are made entirely from my thrifted plaid shirt collection!!  This is quite the "upcycled" project. ;-)

What does it say??  Well, it's a popular phrase used to describe the point when you just have to give up caring so much about what everyone else thinks and just do what works for you...  Caution:  There is a bad word involved--so if you are sensitive to cursing, don't look to closely or zoom in on the pic below.  I'm only showing the pic so you can see how I planned out the layout of the mini-quilt.

I'm going to get the rows pinned and start assembling this little gem of a quilt!!  Happy Quilting!

EPP Progress... I love it!

I'm still doing some EPP in the evenings.  My jewel flower project is coming along.... I arranged all the pieces on the floor on October 1st and took a pic so that I would know how I wanted all the hexagon blocked placed.

Almost half of the hexagons are pieced together...the project is moving along quickly now so I have to plan on how to deal with the borders.  My plan is to EPP in some half 4" diamonds on the top and bottom in colors similar to the blocks on the borders.  I also intend to make some "half hexagons" to fit in on the sides.  

I really do love the process of EPP.  Everyone who EPPs knows what I'm talking about...and if you haven't given it a try, watch a few videos and get a few tips from the experts--you won't regret it!

Happy Quilting!

Gypsy love...and Soul Blossoms!!

When Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms fabric line originally came out, I didn't realize how awesome it was.  Several years later I saw a few quilts online made from Soul Blossoms fabric and managed to find a yard of each of the prints in the collection.  I've been hoarding them for years, only making an occasional quilt or bag from them.  I knew that my new Gypsy pattern would be perfect for this beautiful fabric....

Here is an up-close, sexy shot of the quilting...The panto is called Jessie's Swirls and I love the texture it gave this quilt.  The background fabric is Kona Stone, if I recall....

Rebecca will be binding it this week and (hopefully) some cover pictures can be taken at my Mom's house.  She has a gate on the front of the house that might just look fantastic with this quilt hanging on it...If not, she has a park right up from her house--maybe there is a nice spot there to take a pic.

Anyhow, that about sums up what I did this week.  I really would have had this quilted during August, but I didn't like the background fabric and had to re-order some new fabric (and unload the quilt from the longarm frame, etc) because I was just going to "go with it" even though the first fabric wasn't right.  I'm very glad that I waited because this turned out so much better with the new backing.

Did I ever show a pic of the bag I made with some of my coveted Soul Blossoms? It is called the Tessa Bag and I love it...wait, I haven't ever used it because I love it so much, but someday I will!!

I'm down to about 8 more months before retirement...I can't wait!  Happy Quilting!

EPP update...

One thing I have been continuously working on is my EPP project.  I'm short about 6 more hexagon blocks and the 8 half blocks for the sides, but I'm getting there... Most of the fabric was from the Summerfest line of fabric (with a few of my own added in for variety).  I still love precuts!!

And an up-close, sexy shot.  These are 2" diamonds, 2" jewels, and 1" hexagons.  I really love this EPP and could happily do it for life!

I need to quilt a top for a pattern I wrote up this summer...maybe that is my weekend job??  I'll take a pic as I'm moving through it...School is off to a start and I only have about 270 days until retirement.  I'm just getting through each day and waiting for my new life to begin!!  ;-)

Happy quilting!

Another Binary Code Mini Quilt....

I just love binary code quilts.  Remember when I did this one, for my son Ryan??  It spells Ryan ###### (our last name) in binary code vertically.  We think it is kind of cool that it just looks like a random pattern of blocks to most people, but it really means something to us.

In light of that successful quilt, I figured I'd make another mini one for myself.  Each zero or one block will finish at 3" x 3".  There are eight zeros and ones in each letter (horizontally) so it will measure 24" across and 30" down (there are 9 letters and one space in the words).  Here is a link to a binary code converter if you are interested in doing this yourself....  These are some zero blocks and some one blocks that I'm making from my huge stash of vintage shirts.

The left side shows a zero block.  Two 1.5" x 3.5" strips on the sides, and three 1.5" x 1.5" squares up the middle.  The right side shows a one block--all three strips are 1.5" x 3.5".   Unfinished they will square up to 3.5" x 3.5".  Easy peasy!

This will show how it is starting out...you are looking at a "z" and "e".  ;-)

Well, I guess we'll see how it all turns out in the end.  It is my daily project while I binge watch Breaking Bad for the third time!!  Ryan is at band camp during the day, and Rebecca is back to work, so I'm a housewife (sort of).  I should wrap this up by next week when I have to return to school.

I'll keep you up to date...Happy Quilting!

Still working...on a new pattern!

A big HELLO to anyone who made the switch from the old blog!  Thanks for following me...

One of my last posts showed a new quilt pattern I was working on called Gypsy.  Here it is done in pastels...

But I really wanted a different cover pic so I remade the quilt in Amy Butler Soul Blossoms.  Yes, I've been hoarding a bunch of this fabric and I thought it would make the perfect cover quilt.

It still needs to be quilted, but this what I've been doing this summer.  Not that it took me that long, lol, but I was working slowly.  The pattern is written and just needs the cover pic to be completed.  More to come on that soon, hopefully!

I'm back to school next week...the final year!!  Good luck to all you parents out there--school shopping awaits you!!  Happy Quilting!

Sweet Home Alabama

I'm excited to show you my latest quilt pattern...

The quilt uses jelly roll strips, though instructions are given for cutting from leftover scrap pieces.  Here is the back of the quilt pattern....

The alternate sizes vary from baby to twin size.  This quilt is perfect for beginners as it has no tricky piecing....just straight lines all the way!!  I definitely advise using a strongly contrasting color for the cornerstones.  

I quilted it using a new panto called Shasta.  I love the swirling daisies and whimsical leaves.  It is a lovely quilt and was quite easy to make.  The pattern is available for PDF download on Etsy here, or Craftsy here.

I've got another quilt in the works so keep checking back in with me...

Happy Quilting!