Heart Quilt Wall Hanging

I had the opportunity to quilt this fun jelly strip heart quilt a few weeks ago. 

My customer gave me free range on the quilting. I had fun sketching this one out. 

I used a light pink thread, which is a little difficult to see in these pictures.

AND .. Since you can see it a little better on the back ...

 I loved quilting this one!

Sometimes it's hard knowing what to do on someone else's quilts (or even my own). This time, it came really easy to me. LOVE when that happens!!! If only it would happen more often :)

Out Of Step

Out Of Step. 

I feel like I've been a little out of step lately. Trying to balance this new school year with 2 kids and homework, finding time to keep up with the store, housework, gym time... uh, the list could go on. The Holidays always bring on a new overwhelming sense of stress. amiright? 

I'm pretty much a step behind. I know I will catch up. One step at a time. 

Maybe a few extra gray hairs :)

This pattern can be found in the list of free patterns offered by Robert Kaufman.

As soon as I saw it, I needed to make it! I have never done an all solid quilt. I pulled a bundle I had been saving from Art Gallery fabrics and got to work!

I started this quilt at the beginning of the year. I shared a few progress posts here, there, under there and over there. Although I had the top finished, and every intention to complete the quilt at the time, it got placed in a pile and forgotten. I rediscovered it a couple of months ago, found the perfect backing and binding for it in my stash - something I had bought years ago and was saving for an unknown project. I had just the right amount! 

 

I mostly quilted straight lines, following the flow of the quilt. I had started to fill the 'maze' with lines, but after the first section, decided it was too many lines. So, I unpicked 2 rows. Even with all the turning required, I had it quilted in about 4 days. I filled the extra spaces with offset triangles.

I am so in love with how it all turned out!

I asked my little girl to hold my camera while I put the quilt out on the ice. Naturally, she snapped a few shots of me.  

Frozen lakes make me nervous. But, I couldn't resist the forming ice.

I stayed on the bank, and hoped it was frozen enough to support me. But if not, then at most I would only have a really cold boot. :)

I love all the texture the light shows. 

I wouldn't mind having a wintery picnic. right. here.

Just look how gorgeous this lake is!

Oh! I nearly forgot! I had one last hurdle to jump before getting this quilt done. I did a bias binding, which I've done several times before. For some reason, I had a bit of a rolling problem with this one. It might have been that I didn't have it lined up just right when I turned it over. I may have even stretched it a bit while pressing. I thought I could get over it; maybe it would fix itself in the wash. 

I was nearly finished with it, and decided I just didn't like it. I could do better. So, I took it all out. I used a few more (or all of them) of my Wonder Clips, and started over. It turned out so much better!

There was still a small amount of rolling, but barely noticeable. I'm sure after a wash or two, it won't even bother me :)

Fancier Foxes

This post is looong overdue! 

A few months ago, I made a Fancy Fox quilt for my newest nephew. My kids fell in love with the foxes. So much so, that: 1) they didn't want me to give the quilt away. 2) they wanted to make their own fox quilts. I've been posting pics here and there of their progress. Although - it's been a few months since they finished their tops. Summer came along, and like all other projects, we (I) took a break on the quilts. I finally got them quilted in August, and even took pictures a few weeks ago. I'm a bit behind with showing them off. I'm still trying to find a happy medium with how to spend my time while the kids are at school. Lately, I've been sewing up their Halloween costumes. Which, I'm happy to say, are nearly finished, and should have pictures to show y'all in a week or two. 

Making these quilts with them has been such a great experience for all of us. The kids really took to concentrating on their stitches, and even challenged themselves to go at a faster pace. They sort of made a game out of timing themselves to see how long it would take to sew 5 squares, or how many they could get done in 2 minutes. 

They were very particular about what they wanted, putting their personalities into their quilts. They picked everything, from fabrics, placement, accessories, backing and quilting. Which has been funstrating (fun+frustrating)! I think it's a good trait they have, but can also be frustrating when what they want isn't really available. My girl was much more giving in her decisions. If it was the right color, that's all that mattered. 

My boy on the other hand, was a little more picky. He wanted each fox be different - not just in color, but also in print. He has always known what he wants, and always figures out a way to get it. I had to pull out every single bin of fabric I have, with a lot of rejections, before he found a fabric for each fox. In the end, he decided it was okay if the patterns were similar (but still not the same), especially when it came to dots. Even thought it's just a quilt, I'm glad to see him not waver from his determination. I know he felt very accomplished when he was able to find 42 different fabrics. He could have given up after the first bin and just settled on what he had, but he wouldn't have been happy.  

Trying to decide on a background was nearly as daunting for him. After many mind changes, a couple quick lessons on color theory and contrasting, a trip (or 2) to the Riley Blake warehouse, he found the right color of grey he could be happy with.

So how did we make these foxes fancier? Of course the glasses were a must. My girl didn't like the glasses that Elizabeth Hartman made to go along with her pattern. She thought they looked too boyish. So I came up with some other, more girly glasses. Paisley also wanted to add bows. Which I love! 

This is my favorite of her foxes.

My boy also wanted to add glasses. And mustaches.

I came up with a few mustaches for variety. He only wanted the short, nearly straight mustache.

I think it makes the fox look quite sly.

It didn't just stop at glasses and mustaches. He also wanted a hat, which then led to a monocle.

This is my favorite of his foxes. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!

This might really be my favorite of all the foxes. He looks so dignified!

Paisley wanted a simple wave quilted across hers. She picked a very pale purple thread by Sulky. It has a been of a glimmer to it, just like her :)

She couldn't decide which Michael Miller Basics purple dots she liked better, so I pieced them in a gradient (I should have made some of the strips wider).

Argyle wanted his to be quilted in flames. He found a red/yellow/orange variegated thread in my box that was perfect for the flames.

He also pulled about 13 different fabrics for his backing. I did my best to incorporate all that he had, but when it came down to it, had to leave a few out. The pieces just weren't big enough. I made the back up as I went a long. I don't usually do improv piecing. I had a lot of fun with it, and am seriously considering making a top in the same fashion. 

I don't know who's more proud of their first quilts (and tremendous accomplishment), me or them. The quilts are shown to just about everyone who comes by our house, have been on their beds since the moment they were finished, traveled with them in the car, been to movie nights, a hospital appointment, talent night and shown off to their school classes. 

I am amazed at their tenacity during the whole process. 

I'm glad to be able to share my love of quilting with my kids. 

I'm happy I could teach them.

I am extremely proud of them. 

Foxes In The Desert

Just a few short weeks ago, my newest nephew was born. I have made a quilt for each of my nieces and nephews. This makes number 13. My brother and his family all really loved that 'What Does The Fox Say' song. I have never heard it - I may be about the only one on the planet who hasn't. Non-the-less, when I learned they would be having another boy, I knew I wanted to make Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Fox Quilt. I was so anxious to make this quilt, I started pulling fabrics before the pattern even arrived! When the pattern finally did arrive, I had this cute little top put together in about 2 days! There was a lot of trimming and pressing, but all worth it. 

I've shown a few pictures here and there of my progress on Facebook. I'll share them again below, in case you missed it :)

This quilt is being hand delivered by my parents who are currently driving through 5 states to meet my new nephew, and will be arriving today. Sometimes quilts make me so happy I can hardly wait to give it to their intended. This is one of those of quilts. 

I held off on taking pictures of the final quilt for a few weeks after it was finished, only because I was going to be taking a mini-trip to Capital Reef and already knew it would be the perfect place to take pictures of these foxes. I toted it around on one of our hikes, placing it in the little 'cubbies' in the sandstone walls, finding that perfectly angled flat rock it could lay on, or over by that tree that is also very beautiful, standing tall above the rocky surrounding as if it too, was taking in all the beauty that was before it. I got left behind. A lot. 

When I finally caught up to everyone else, I saw the most perfect rock to hang the quilt from; with a little help from my mom (who is huddled along the backside).

I love this fox with the glasses on. There was a huge argument between my kids on which one I should put the glasses on. Ultimately, I decided slightly off center would be best. My boy keeps telling me where I really should have put them.

I quilted it with an all over wood grain. This is one of those patterns I felt so intimidated to do. But after squiggling it on paper a few times, quilting it was a breeze. I quickly fell into my niche, and had it quilted with in a day. Such an EASY design that I will be doing again! :)

My kids also fell in love with the foxes. They have decided that they, too, want their own fox quilt. They have been going through my stash to pick out their fabrics, and have even helped with the sewing. One top is done and currently 13 foxes into the second one. It's been fun sewing with them. I'm even more glad it's something they want to do too :)

Stripping Down

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this pretty little pile of freshly cut jelly strips.

I managed to get all the main pieces cut yesterday, after much wonderment and inquiry as to when I would be finished with her quilt :)

AND ... 

In case you're wondering which pattern she finally landed on - -

it's Fancy Fox by Elizabeth Hartman.

All that's missing is the background. Paisley's thinking she wants pink, purple and red, and that was narrowing it down ;). I was thinking a nice light grey or pale yellow. What color would you pick?

1930-2015

I don't usually get very personal on this blog. I never really know how personal I should be. 

This post is going to be very personal. 

Today, I want to share with you about my grandma and the amazing woman she was. 

I made this quilt for my grandma about a year and a half ago, when she broke her toes from a fall. You can  read more about it here. After I gave this quilt to my grandma, she hung it on her front railing. It was the first thing anyone could see when walking through her front door. She passed it several times a day, as it lined the hallway to her bedroom. I'm not sure that she ever used it as a quilt. That's okay. She displayed it in her home, where it could be seen. I'm glad she did. I know she loved it.

Today, this quilt means more to me than I could ever express. 

The beginning of March marked my grandmother's descend. Though she has been suffering with minor ailments for quite some time, March is when it all changed. My grandmother was admitted to the CICU for a heart attack. However, she went to the hospital because of Bronchitis. The medications she was taking for it caused her to be nauseous and throw up. While she was in the emergency room, the doctor wanted a CT scan, and discovered she had had a heart attack in the near past. She has had several problems with congestive heart failure throughout the past 15 years. She had a double by-pass 10 or 12 years ago, along with 3 stints. The CT scan showed that the stints were starting to fail and one had been dislodged. She had another surgery, replacing the stints. When she was discharged, it was recommended she check in to a rehab facility to help get her strength back. Due to arthritis/bursitis in her hip, she has needed assistance while walking. It was hard for her to bare her full weight. Most days she preferred to simply sit at home in her big, comfy chair by the window. She was in a lot of pain. Rehab wore her out completely. She slept most the day. She stopped eating.

My grandmother at age 5

Each day was uncertain. Although she was worn, she showed progress. We wanted her to progress. We wanted to be hopeful. I visited her nearly every day. I brought her home-made smoothies, with protein and spinach, in the hopes she would at least drink those. Most the time she did, but with great pushing to just have a sip. She had good days and bad days. And scary days, days we thought we would lose her. She became incoherent, unaware of her surroundings, unresponsive to those talking to her. The next day, she would be sitting up, involved in conversation, even singing. She always sang. After 3 weeks of being in rehab, she was admitted back into the hospital for multiple heart attacks. Her heart now pumping at 35%, she would never survive another surgery. She was too weak. Hope for a recovery had been replaced with despair as the decision to bring her home was made. For the first time in my life, I saw my grandpa cry. As heartbreaking as it was, he knew he had to bring her home. He knew he would have to let her go. A few hours later, She was released into family care. The following days were harrowing. My kids were on Spring Break, we spent that time at her house; helping to administer pain medications, making her comfortable, and mostly holding her hand. My grandma passed away in the morning, on April 3, 2015, while surrounded by her family. I am so grateful I was able to be there with her. I am even more grateful that she is no longer in pain, suffering. The quilt I made her covered her, while comforting us.

My grandmother at age 15

My grandma was such an amazing woman. To put her life into a few words doesn't seem possible. To put my memories of her into a few words is the least I can do. She did everything: sew, quilt, crochet, knit, cook, can, bake, garden, paint, scrapbook, and on top of all that, she raised 5 children. She taught my dad to play piano, who in turn, taught me. I used to fall asleep on her kitchen floor while she cooked. When I was 9, I wanted to learn to knit. My grandma patiently taught me, sat with me, watched me. I didn't feel that confident with my knitting, and as a result, didn't do it long. I made a few hot pads and wash cloths, but don't think it went beyond that. When I was 5 or 6, she made me a doll. It was about half my size. I loved it. I took it everywhere with me. One night, I played a little too rough with it, and it ripped - beyond repair. I was devastated. My grandma made many dolls, she even replicated cabbage patch dolls. They used to line the walls in a spare bedroom. She has since moved from that house. I'm not sure what happened to many of those dolls. She now just has a few of them on display in the guest room.

I spent Easter Sunday with my grandpa. He showed me where a couple of the quilts my grandma made were and I was able to take a few pictures.

I tried to get a close up of her hand quilting. I hope you can see it okay. 

I love how my grandma labeled her quilts. 

I also used embroidery floss for the label on the quilt I made her.

Here's a better picture of her hand quilting. 

She was the driving force that made me want to be better at hand quilting.

A couple of years ago, my grandma gave me a few of her blocks. I think they were the start of a quilt, I'm not even sure if she has the fabric still, or which pattern she was following. It had been a while since she made them; and since she wasn't able to quilt the way she once did, she thought I could do something with them. I haven't dared do anything with them, yet. I've been thinking a lot about those blocks. I'm hoping to be able to go through her boxes of fabric to see if there is coordinating fabrics for these blocks, that I might be able to make a nice wall hanging, or something, in tribute of her.

She used to hand stitch blocks while she traveled during the summer. It was not paper piecing. She was able to stitch a quarter-inch seam with precision, no guide needed. She showed me a couple of those blocks when I first started quilting. I remember being so impressed by my grandma's skills. It made me want to hand stitch a quilt too. I have yet to stitch blocks the way she did, but I am working on an EPP hexagon quilt.

my grandmother's block. I have 1 more of the same, that is about 4x as big

flying geese from my grandmother

As I mentioned earlier, she also did knit and crochet. Here are a couple of the afghans she made:

She never missed a birthday, holiday or any other celebration. She had parties just for fun. Those were always the best parties, usually in the summertime with homemade pie and ice cream. There was a dinner or two (or four) where she made something to bring, but it wasn't until she arrived that she remembered she left it at home, in the fridge. She was always the first one to laugh about it.

That's me, asleep on the kitchen floor at my grandma's house

She was a huge support in my life. She encouraged learning, she did all she could to help, she gave advice - whether you wanted it or not, but it was always needed. When I started canning, she gave me quite a few of her jars, that she wouldn't be needing anymore. When I first started quilting, she let me borrow a couple of her quilting books. She also gave me a couple magazines. In one magazine, there was a mail-in card to get a book. It was the Better Homes And Gardens Complete Guide To Quilting. I sent the card in. It wasn't until after I sent it that I realized it was a pre-printed card with my grandma's address. I asked her to let me know when it arrived, and I was going to pay for it. My grandma never let me know it arrived. Instead, she held on to it for my birthday. 

My beautiful grandmother at age 65.

One of my most valued possessions is a quilt she made for my birth. Not knowing if I would be a girl or not, she made the quilt purely out of hope (and my mother's intuition I would be a girl). It was the only thing I wanted with me in the hospital when my girl was born, who now sleeps with it every night. There might be a few stains and stitches are coming out. Those are the marks that is loved and well used.

I am fortunate to have had this woman as my grandmother. I'm even more lucky to have had her in my life for as long as I did. I'm glad for the advice which she always gave. I'm glad for the lessons she taught me. I'm glad for the love she showed. The days leading up to her passing, she did not speak much, but maybe a 'yes' or 'no'. The day before she passed, it was the same. For most the day, she had not said a word, just laid with her eyes closed, perhaps she was sleeping, or maybe just quietly listening to the family commiserate. We pulled out her photo albums, laughed how she 'photo-shopped' pictures before photoshop was around, shared stories of her many travels, how she met my grandpa and the memories we had at their first home. I was leaving for the day and wanted to tell her goodbye. I held her hand, kissed her cheek and told her I love her. I thought she might be sleeping. Instead, she squeezed my hand and whispered 'I love you ... I love you'. That was always the greatest gift Grandma could give. I am blessed that she always shared it with me.

Grandma opening her new quilt