Mama Pea Quilts

I Love Making Pot Holders

2011-02-21T20:44:00.006-06:00

I had an overwhelming urge to make a couple of pot holders to add to my stash, so that's what I did .

Sorting through my fabric, I was thinking of making something with a spring theme but when I ended up with this selection, I decided they were more representative of full-blow summer time.

The blocks I used this time were "Right Hand of Friendship" on the right and "Gentleman's Fancy" on the left. Both were easy and fun to do. I can definitely see using "Right Hand of Friendship" in 30s prints for a baby quilt.

I liked these two fabrics so much I used them as solid backs for the pot holders.

I'm gonna get back to my daughter's spring wall hanging one of these days very soon. She and I picked out the border fabrics this weekend so I'm ready to go on that next part.

Ahead . . . For A Change

2011-02-13T18:18:00.006-06:00

Spring up here in the north woods is more than a month (maybe two!) away but I'm happy to report I've gotten a head start on the spring time wall/door hanging for my daughter's office.

Once again she picked out the pattern from one of my quilting books.

This is a picture of the wall hanging she chose. It's in Mary Hickey's book, "Sweet and Simple Baby Quilts." So to be more accurate, I suppose we have to say it's not a wall hanging but rather was meant as a baby quilt.

It's comprised mainly of eleven squares of appliqued flowers. Here all the squares are laid out. All but the one in the top center row still need to have the stems embroidered on and I haven't stitched the appliqued flower petals or leaves on yet. I'm thinking I'll probably do that by machine. So far they're just bonded on.

The only problem is that by the time I put the "Welcome" rectangle on the piece, it's going to be too long to look good on the door. So . . .

I'm going to have to cut the length by taking out three of the squares. In comparison to the full sized pattern, it doesn't look so pretty good right now. But I think when I get the "Welcome" part added and the outer border on it will look a lot better. I sure hope so anyway. Time will tell. For now I'll just call it definitely a work in progress!

Pot Holders Ready to be Mailed

2011-02-08T18:49:00.006-06:00

I made two pot holders as a small thank you and they are ready to be tucked into an envelope and wing their way southward.

Front and back of the first one.

Front and back of the second one.

If you're anything like me, you can always use a couple of new pot holders. Seems like they're kind of pricey at the store if you can find ones you like, so I get a kick out of making them for myself and others.

It's a quick project and lets me try out different patterns of the old-fashioned blocks on the front of them. Doing seasonal ones are also fun.

I Wanna Do It Again!

2011-02-06T19:33:00.008-06:00

My three-day quilting retreat at home has been a smashing success. And, boy-howdy, did I accomplish a lot. My main aim was to finish the winter wall hanging for my daughter's office and I did that early this afternoon.

As I mentioned, it took me all day yesterday to do the machine quilting on it (which I am very happy with) so all I had to do today was the binding and hanging sleeve.

This is a close-up of the left border and part of the center of the piece.

Above is the top portion. Sure wish the machine quilting would show up better in the pictures.

The appliqued "Welcome" lettering across the bottom.

And the whole wall hanging completely finished and ready to be delivered.

I used the remainder of the day today to work on a couple of quilted pot holders that I wanted to make as a thank you for someone who did something very nice for me. I have to hand stitch the binding on them tomorrow and they will be all set to go. I'll post a picture or two of them before sending them off.

The one single problem with my three-day quilting marathon at home was that now I want to do it again . . . soon!

Home Quilt Retreat - Day One

2011-02-04T20:24:00.008-06:00

The weather today couldn't have been better for hunkering down in my quilt studio

A bad picture taken through window and screen, but this was the scene this morning out my quilt studio window.

I had a couple of things to do in there before I got down to any actual quilting.

I did a mending job on a duffel bag of hubby's.

Then I cleaned off my cutting table so I would have a place to . . . well, do some cutting.

Next I cleaned both my machines. A little task long overdue.

I was close to plumb out of wound and ready bobbins so I sat and replenished my supply of ecru, gray and white ones.

Finally got on to the quilting. Worked on my daughter's winter wall hanging which had better get done quickly or it won't be winter anymore.

Previously I'd spent a lot of time trying to choose fabrics for the borders. Then I did what I probably should have done in the first place. A couple of days ago I asked her what she preferred . . . and that's what I did.

Tomorrow I'll get it sandwiched with batting and backing and start the quilting on it.

'Twas a good day!

Yippee-Skippy, I'm Doin' It!

2011-02-04T12:50:00.003-06:00

I did a post on my personal blog yesterday putting forth my intentions to spend three whole days (THREE WHOLE DAYS!) in my quilt studio starting today.

I'm on a quick lunch break right now but if you wish to hear more about my very exciting adventure, you can go to A Home Grown Journal and read all about it.

Back to my quilting . . .

Moving Right Along . . .

2011-01-26T19:36:00.005-06:00

I've got the main body of my daughter's winter wall hanging put together.

Here I'm auditioning fabrics (on the left of the picture) for the borders.

A close-up of the piecing. Lots of cutting, but the piecing itself went fast.

I still have to construct the usual "Welcome" addition to the hanging and get that attached before I can proceed on the borders . . . if I ever decide on the fabrics for the borders, that is. Sometimes it's so hard to tell if they'll look right before actually getting them on. Then if you decide you've made a goof . . . well, back to the drawing board. Or maybe I should say seam ripper!

A Winter Wall Hanging

2011-01-24T19:14:00.007-06:00

I finally (finally, finally, FINALLY!) have gotten a start on the winter wall hanging for my daughter's office.

She looked through some of my pattern books and came up with this Pineapple Block pattern that she liked a lot. This is a (poor) photo of the quilt from a page in the book. Not very good, but I think it'll give you an idea of the basic pattern. I'll have to do some re-figuring to make it the right shape to fit on her door, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

The pattern is in this book by Darlene Zimmerman.

I searched through my stash of blue fabrics and came up with these to use. I also pulled out an assortment of whites and off-whites that combined with the blues should give a feel of snow and the chill of winter.

So far I've got a running start on the first nine blocks of the pattern. They're going together rather quickly and I'm eager to start on the other block that makes up the pattern.

It's great to be back at the sewing machine again and seeing a quilting project taking shape.

Crocheted Rug -- Finished!

2011-01-20T18:02:00.006-06:00

I finished my crocheted rug last night.

I thought I wanted it to be about 24" x 36" but when I hit 19" x 32" I stopped. Even though I had a bunch more strips of fabric already cut that I could have used, this seemed like a good size. (Now what to do with the extra strips?!)

As I mentioned before, it reminds me of a cross between a rag rug and a braided rug.

It's going to be very substantial and I think will hold up to lots of washing.

But it is rather thick and heavy so I'm wondering how easily it will dry. I'm thinking my preferred way of drying it would be to lay it out on the metal deck table on a sunny day in the summer time. That way I could keep flipping it over and pressing/stretching it flat so it retains its shape.

Quilt Studio Tour

2011-01-13T18:28:00.004-06:00

I had a request on my personal blog so I gave a tour today of a trip around my quilt room over there. If you're interested, you can pop over to, A Home Grown Journal, to take a peek.

"Life" continues to give me too many things that must be done so I'm still not working on my quilting as I want to do. You'd think I'd be on top of things and organized by now after the holidays but I don't seem to be. Sat at my desk most of the day today paying bills and doing other tasks which had to be done. The house isn't very clean, but dagnabbit, it will just get dirty again if I take the time to clean it so I may just overlook that for a while. I keep thinking I'll quilt when I get "caught up" but that illusive state of affairs never seems to arrive.

Since I can't figure out how to get more hours in the day (short of giving up more of my beauty sleep --- and we do NOT want to see that happen), I'm just going to stomp on off into my quilting studio and QUILT!

A Repeat for Some of You

2011-01-06T13:23:00.011-06:00

I posted pretty much this same spiel on my personal blog, A Home Grown Journal, back in the first part of December. But in case any of you quilters missed it, I thought I'd give it a little more exposure (Show and Tell?) here. This is where it belongs anyway, but I wasn't able to be posting on both blogs at that time.

My daughter, Chicken Mama, had asked me to make her a wall hanging for the Christmas season to hang on the door of her office in town. She had an open house on December 4th so that was my deadline for getting it done. I made it. Just barely. Finished up the night before at 5:30 p.m.

It was a pattern she picked out . . . and one I didn't have a lot of fun doing. (I'm not really complaining, I could have told her to pick out something else.) She's always been particularly fond of watercolor quilts, and I'm not. This had a lot of iron-on applique, and I prefer hand applique. But I digress.

Let's get on with it. (And stop your whining, Mama Pea.)

Here are some pictures so you can see the whole process of making the wall hanging.

First I laid out all the 2" squares on my design wall, stood back and took a good look. Changed some squares. Squinted my eyes and studied it again. Some squares needed to be changed and rearranged, but I quickly realized that I could stand there and make changes until the cows came home if I didn't say "good enough" and step away from it. Next step was to start sewing the squares together. The size of the thing sure did shrink right down when I started putting the squares together with quarter inch seams.

Okay, all squares sewn together and ready for the applique on top of the background. The plain blocks in the center are just muslin "plugs" because the applique will completely cover that area.

A big, green evergreen tree was cut out and went on first. That was easy.

Then started the painstakingly s-l-o-w process of fussy cutting out all the decorations for the tree, putting them on bonding material, cutting them out again and then bonding them to the tree. Doesn't look like that much now that it's done, but believe you me, it took days.

Chicken Mama asked that I put a "Welcome" block on the bottom of the piece so I constructed that to fit as part of the wall hanging.

After the tree was fully decorated, there were wrapped gifts to make and arrange under the tree.

Here's a detail of the applique on the tree. Darn good thing all the individual pieces were just bonded on with heat; I would never have lived through traditional applique sewing them on by hand. You can see they were too detailed to do by machine.

And here is the finished piece. Dear daughter was pleased with it and I was, too, when it was done. They say it's important for us to work outside our comfort zone now and then to keep the creativity flowing. I was outside of my comfort zone for the better part of this one!

It's Not Quilting But . . .

2010-12-28T17:00:00.006-06:00

I thought I'd post about this newest project anyway.

I know I shouldn't have done it when I have so many other projects going but I just couldn't stop myself. I've been looking at this method of making a rug for a while now and finally ordered the little instruction booklet and over-sized crochet hook.

Using strips of fabric and a couple of simple crochet stitches it comes out looking like a cross between a braided rug and a rag rug.

My start of the rug is presently only 8-1/2" x 20-1/2". I'm shooting for somewhere around 24" x 36". It's fun to do but not as smooth or easy as regular crocheting that you can just kind of fly through.

This is proving to be tough stuff using fabric strips instead of yarn and Paul Bunyan's mother's crochet hook. Feels like I'm working with a telephone pole.

But I am liking the way it's looking. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-24T15:46:00.005-06:00

Last year Beth over at Love Laugh Quilt was making the most darling small wall hangings. She's just chock full of innovative ideas and comes up with the best quilted pieces. I admired her little Christmas-y hangings and told her I thought they were just the most perfect, cheerful little decorations.

Well, wouldn't you know, a few days later I got a package in the mail with a couple of pieces of the panel she used of the little retro-clad children playing in the snow. She even enclosed some left over pieces of fabric she had used for the borders.

So using what Beth had sent me and augmenting with some of my Christmas fabric, I made these two festive little "pictures" of my own.

This is the smaller of the two and measures about 7" square.

This one is about 9-1/2" x 8".

I keep them hanging in my quilt studio year round and never tire of looking at them while always thinking of Beth.

When the holiday season comes, I hang one beside the front door and the other one on our bedroom door. Perhaps you might have thought of it as a small favor, Beth, but I've gotten a tremendous amount of enjoyment out of your kindness.

Sending best wishes to all of you for a wonderful Christmas spent with family and loved ones. Merry Christmas!

Revisiting Thanksgiving

2010-12-21T16:17:00.009-06:00

This past summer my daughter took a small office in our town in which to set up her web design business. There are three or four other rental spaces in the same building and they all go off of a comfortable main lobby. She wanted to have a colorful quilted wall hanging to put on her door that opens out onto the lobby.

I've done two for her so far, the first one being this autumnal/Thanksgiving one and the second a Christmas one that she has up right now.

This is a shot of the full wall hanging which measures approximately 23" x 43". Technically, this isn't a quilted piece in that it's a pre-printed panel. (Or "cheater's cloth" as some people call it.) My daughter saw it and fell in love with it and asked if I would make it into her door hanging. Of course, I said yes even though working on a pre-printed panel isn't my favorite thing to do since the part I like best about quilting is the piecing. The pre-printed panel involved no piecing, just hand quilting. And hand quilting. And more hand quilting!

This is a close-up of some of the side detail.

The leaves on the tree were fun to do.

The center sheaf of wheat.

She wanted the hanging to say "Welcome" so I made this block with the appliqued letters and sewed it over a bottom part of the pre-printed panel. I think it worked out well. If you didn't examine it closely, you wouldn't know it wasn't an original part of the panel.

I'll post pictures of the Christmas hanging soon. Which reminds me, I'd better get started on something to put up there after the holidays! (Hmmm, I'm seeing lots of blue fabrics, I'm seeing snowflakes, I'm seeing sparkling snow drifts, I'm seeing . . . )

Hi, Remember Me?

2010-12-17T18:42:00.003-06:00

How do I jump back into updating my quilting blog regularly when it's been an empty, lonely space for so long? When I'm still not doing nearly as much quilting as I want?

The little blurb in the right hand column of my personal blog (A Home Grown Journal) announcing that I was back in my quilt studio may have been a tad premature. (There is this thing called Christmas and the New Year that tends to throw off normal scheduling for a period each year.)

I've truly missed quilting and visiting with all of you here on my quilting blog. Not only have I not had the time to post these last several months, but time spent in my quilt studio has been limited. Very limited. One of my resolutions for the coming year is to make (and take!) time each day to do more of the things (quilting, quilting and quilting) I enjoy and that nurture my soul. It may have taken me way too long to realize it, but my daily list of Should Dos and Must Dos will never be done. Let's repeat that: It will never be done. If I'm going to have the time I want for the fun things I want to do in this life time, the time to start doing them is NOW.

Wish me luck. I know I'll need it. Change is never easy. Even a good change doesn't feel comfortable at first. I've been a Type A personality all my life and most mornings when I wake up, stupidity continues to reign supreme. I still think at the start of a new day, I can DO IT ALL. If I just work fast enough all morning, I'll have all afternoon to quilt. Except that The List is never done by afternoon time, so I ignore my need to go to my quilt studio where my creativity can thrive.

So, nuh-uh. Nope. No more. I'm going to try my durndest to make a big change. At the end of the day instead of saying, "Oooof, am I tired. I got a lot done today but I'm beat," I want to say, "Look at what I created today! What a high! I feel so energized I can't wait to get back at it tomorrow!"

If I'm not quilting, there's not much to post about on this blog. It will be after the holiday season, I'm sure, before I can implement my big change and wangle regular time in my quilt studio. But it's coming . . . as I hope regular blog posts will be also.

It's good to be back . . . even though it's just this much so far.

I'm Still Here

2010-04-25T16:14:00.007-05:00

I'm still here, but I sure haven't had much time for quilting lately. It's been two weeks since I last posted and that almost makes me feel worse than not quilting.

If I weren't so slow moving and cranky when I don't get enough sleep, I think I'd start staying up half the night to fit all the things into a day's time that have been falling by the wayside recently.

Our early spring has allowed us to get outside to start on yard, garden, and wood work much earlier than usual. This in itself is a good thing, but at the same time I feel my winter inside has been cut short.

In the past couple of weeks, I've been sneaking in minutes of quilting time here and there to work on a set of six summer placemats.

I had originally ordered these seventeen coordinating fat quarters thinking I would make a quilted summer tablecloth with them. Lacking the time to come up with a pattern for the tablecloth, but hearing the lovely fabrics call out to me every time I passed the doorway to my quilt studio, I decided to go with the placemats which would be relatively easy and something I could work on piecemeal when I had a few spare moments.

To date I have all six constructed and quilted,

. . . the binding sewn on two,

. . . the binding cut, pieced and ready to be sewn on two more,

. . . and two that still need the binding cut, pieced and sewn on.

Then, of course, I'll have the hand sewing of the binding on the reverse sides to do.

With luck they will be done by true summer time, and I'm sure I'll enjoy using them. At least I hope they'll be done by then. Maybe I will start trying to get by on four hours sleep a night. Nah, I KNOW that won't work!

I Should be Ashamed

2010-04-11T16:29:00.005-05:00

I should be ashamed to show you this, and I probably would if I hadn't improved . . . a lot.

This is a potholder I made a few years ago when I was trying to learn how to quilt with a meandering/stipple stitch.

Oh. My. Gosh. Have you ever seen a sorrier result, even as a first attempt?

And, of course, the flip side isn't any better!

The big question is: Why haven't I destroyed this? Burned it. Buried it in the garden. Let the dog tear it to pieces.

Well, I guess it is an excellent example of a bad job. :o)

In Honor of Spring . . .

2010-04-09T17:21:00.005-05:00

Let's go fly a kite! Do you remember flying kites when you were little? Or with your kids?

I had a wonderful Uncle Winnie and I remember him taking me and my cousin Jeff to the city park in the town where I grew up to fly kites.

Our town had a very popular semi-pro baseball team and the stadium for their games was in the park. Uncle Win took us out into the middle of the ball field and got us set up for kite flying.

I remember two things about the adventure. Number one, trying and trying and trying to get the kite up in the air. (Actually, I think Jeff and I might have been just a wee bit too small to successfully manage the feat ourselves.) And, number two, after finally getting it up (no doubt mostly Uncle Win's doing), standing holding on to my kite string and thinking the kite waaaay up at the end of it must have been at least a mile away. If I let my imagination take me back, I can almost feel the tug of the kite string in my hands.

But back to today and the quilted wall hanging I want to share.

I'm pretty sure this was the second quilt I made for hanging in my husband's third grade class room when he was teaching. I got the pattern out of a Fons and Porter quilting magazine.

Late March and April was usually the time it went up in the classroom.

I liked to think that it would be fun for the kids to stare at and daydream of being outside in the warming, fresh air instead of inside a stuffy classroom. (Apologies to my dear husband, Mr. Teacher, who would rather the kiddies had paid close attention to his teaching!)

I Have A Problem

2010-04-07T14:43:00.007-05:00

Spring hasn't even fully arrived here in the Northwoods and already I'm wishing for frigid, snowy days of winter when there's absolutely no work for me to do out-of-doors. Why? SO I CAN QUILT!!

The following pictures taken in my quilt room this morning could have been taken a month ago. Seriously. Nothing would look any different than it does today.

This pile of mumble-jumble just keeps growing (it's fallen over a couple of times already) as I stack more things on top. It's waiting for the Magic Organizational Fairy to come and clean and rearrange the storage areas so it all fits in. Somewhere.

These are a pair of my husband's pants that have a split seam. He goes through stages where every piece of clothing he owns seems like it needs mending and one item or another lives with my quilting projects for a period while patiently waiting to be made whole again.

I'll bet this baby quilt has been in this same position on the sewing machine partially quilted for at least four weeks.

Literally the only thing I have done in this room in what seems like FOREVER is to spend 10 or 15 stolen minutes here and there trying to finish the last blocks to complete this quilt that I think must by now be permanently adhered to my design wall . . . because it's been there so long.

Sign. Well, there are only so many hours in each day and if I'm doing one thing, I can't be doing another. (How's that for profundity?) I need to shape up and learn to enjoy and appreciate what I am doing and completely block out the plethora of other things I'm thinking about.

Anybody got an old set of horse blinders I can borrow?

Another Log Cabin Design

2010-03-29T18:44:00.004-05:00

Somewhere around Easter each year, I put this wall hanging up. The colors are definitely those of spring and even though our spring weather here near the Canadian border won't start for at least another month, we're all so eager for the first spring flowers to add color to our drab landscape.

I cut so many 1-1/2" strips of fabric when I was making this wall hanging that I had enough left over to make a baby quilt! This always happens when I work without following a pattern. You'd think I'd learn . . . but I don't.

Stop World, I Wanna Quilt!

2010-03-27T20:01:00.004-05:00

I have been such a bad blogger lately. I can blame it partly on our very unusually warm spring weather up here in northeastern Minnesota. Most years we'd be still at least knee-deep in snow at this time of year but because of the scant amount of snow received over winter, and early warm temperatures, the ground has been bare for weeks now and we've been deceived into thinking spring has truly arrived early.

This has all coaxed us to get outside to get a jump-start on spring chores which, of course, means piddling little time found for quilting right now. Today was the first nasty weather day (rain/snow/sleet/hail) we've had in over three weeks.

To have something to share with you today, I'll have to rely on a little table mat I made a while back when I wanted something to go with my Easter decorations.

I was also in a period when I was making full-sized quilts, baby quilts, and wall hangings using traditional Log Cabin blocks. (But when you get right down to it, does any other block say QUILTING more than the Log Cabin Block? I think not!)

This little piece is only about 12" square and made from scraps that I thought looked both spring-like and said "Easter" to me. I wish I had a bunch in various sizes just like this one to use under plants and other Easter decorations throughout the house.

Maybe someday when I'm caught up on everything else, I can make some more. (Hahahahaha!)

Featured Quilt of the Week Hiatus

2010-03-15T16:36:00.007-05:00

Due to unavoidable diffooculties and time constraints (read: Life!), the Monday Featured Quilt of the Week post is going to be absent from this blog for a while.

But never fear! There's usually something else "quilt-ish" going on that will be worthy of filling the page.

Since our snow has all but completely disappeared and Easter will be here in three short weeks, this past weekend I decided my house decorations revolving around the theme of "Snowmen" had to go, and Easter decorations were brought out.

We aren't holding our breath until it truly comes to pass, but it sure does seem like we will have an early spring here this year. Night time temperatures have been staying way above freezing, and we've actually had several sunny days which have pushed day time temps well into the 50s . . . whoo-hoo!

So along with the rabbits and baskets filled with eggs, I brought out some wall hangings and table runners with a spring motif.

I've had this table runner for a couple of years now.

I machine pieced and hand quilted it.

It's not an original design, but rather taken from this book, "Mostly Table Runners Two" by Jane Wnuk, Linda Green, and Kathi Mundigler.

Here's what the sample looked like in the book. A pretty simple design that would lend itself to any number of fabric choices. You could make it in colors to coordinate with each season!

I don't work with floral fabric a lot but had to stick a couple of florals in my rendition of this table runner just to make it say, "Spring!"

Frustrated But Hopeful

2010-03-12T20:24:00.003-06:00

As spring approaches, I'm beginning to feel eager to get outside to the yard and garden but also know that it will take time away from my quilting.

I know that's why I feel a bit of frustration that the events of this past week have conspired against me spending any time in my quilt studio. So tonight I decided that even though I haven't had time to quilt, I could at least pull out a spring-ish wall hanging or two to decorate the house with. (It's definitely long past time for the snowman theme to disappear!)

I made this small wall hanging (14" x 14") several years ago when my quilt group's challenge for the year was "Baskets." I named it "Basket in the Cabin" because the background is made up of four Log Cabin blocks. I've always felt a little disappointed with it 'cause I placed the appliqued basket just a smidge bit too low. Dang. How the heck could I have missed that until AFTER it was appliqued in place?

Okay, if I'm so bummed out over lack of quilting time, why don't I just go into my quilt studio tomorrow morning with my morning latte and blissfully quilt for a couple of hours? Somehow I have the feeling that my dirty kitchen floor, pan of bars needing to be baked, pantry to be sorted, bills to be paid, and weekend's food to be prepared will be patiently waiting for me when I come out. Yupper, that's a darned good idea . . . and I'm gonna do it!

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Candy Patches"

2010-03-08T00:01:00.002-06:00

As I started constructing this baby quilt and putting completed blocks up on my design wall, the colored patches on the neutral background reminded me of the dots of colored candy we used to get on the strips of white paper when I was small. Anybody else remember those?

As usual, I tend toward an old-fashioned feel for most of my quilts and because I randomly chose both the colored squares and the neutrals from my scrap basket, I think this one looks as if it might have been made a hundred and fifty years years ago from someones carefully saved scraps.

For the backing fabric, I used a simple red dot on a white background.

There is something about polka dots, large or small, that I find so appealing. Always good in a quilt for a little one.

I used a meandering quilting design but quilted only on the neutral fabrics leaving the colored squares to stand out on their own. I didn't want any of them to slip into the background.

This quilt, along with many others, is detailed on my website. Go there and click on "Shop Now" to see all that are for sale.

Have a great week, everyone, and I hope you have time for lots of quilting!

Glory Be!

2010-03-03T13:02:00.006-06:00

I've decided to take a short break from turning out baby quilts and work on a full-sized quilt (well, okay, a small full-sized - only 64" x 64") that I've been wanting to do for a while.

It's a pattern I got from Bonnie Blue Quilts. They specialize in reproduction inspired quilt design patterns, kits, and fabrics.

This pattern is called "Glory Bound" and this is what it looks like so far on my design wall. I've gotten all of these 8" x 8" blocks made but that's all, so far. The rows are still not sewn together.

I probably didn't tackle the cutting for this quilt in a very smart way. I cut everything for the whole quilt before starting any sewing, and believe you me, I didn't think I was EVER gonna get it all done.

Then the construction of four gazillion half-square triangles started. That actually went pretty fast (compared to the cutting anyway) because I had the Olympics to watch while chain piecing them. (Although watching anything on the little half-functioning TV in my quilt studio is not the greatest experience!)

Anyway, I'm about two-thirds of the way through the block construction which is going very smoothly so I'm hoping to have that part of the quilt done before too much longer.

Civil War reproduction fabrics (along with 30s fabrics, of course) are my favorites, and I'm really enjoying working with the gorgeous ones in this quilt.

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Quintessential Buttercups"

2010-03-01T07:32:00.015-06:00

What fun I had making this quilt! When I started making the eight inch blocks, I didn't know how many I would make, but ended up using twenty different traditional block patterns.

Believe it or not, I actually had trouble choosing just twenty patterns out of all I wanted to make. I'm pretty sure there's another sampler quilt coming up.

I think I used ten different fabrics in varied combinations in the blocks.

But if you count, you may come up with a different number!

For the backing fabric, I spent a long time trying to decide between one of the blues used in the front or the yellow I used for the sashing and outer front border. I thought about this for days before I made the decision to use them both in a pieced backing.

I experimented with a wavy grid pattern for the quilting and am very happy with the results. This particular quilting design adds a lot of interest to the back of the quilt.

You can read more about this quilt by going to my website and clicking on "Shop Now."

Rescued From The Round File

2010-02-23T16:23:00.005-06:00

I did it. Rather than tossing this almost-wall-hanging-that-never-shaped-up into the wastebasket, I finished it.

It's now a little 15-1/2" x 19-1/2" doll blanket. And I have just the little girl in mind to give it to.

I made the backing from the bunny fabric . . . had to piece it to have enough . . . and used Thermore for batting so it would be light and easy for the sweet girl to wrap around her favorite doll.

For quilting I did straight-line stitching in the ditch. Put on a yellow binding and another UFO is finished thanks to the encouragement from my blogging quilting friends!

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Sunshine and Lilacs"

2010-02-22T08:31:00.004-06:00

I started making this baby quilt by selecting the backing. I had intended to use yellows, purples, and oranges, drawn from the backing fabric for the piecework on the front of the quilt.

I had no trouble at all selecting yellows and purples, and I really liked the way they all looked together. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make any auditioned oranges work. It took a while (slow learner?), but then it dawned on me that there are times when I need to be flexible enough to let go of preconceived ideas and let the fabrics speak to me. Well, okay then. I guess I don't need the oranges! The only orange color you'll see is in the few blocks of backing fabric I used on the front for continuity (and a few dots of orange in one of the lilac fabrics).

This was an enjoyable quilt to do in the wintertime. So bright and cheerful and a reminder of the colors of our coming spring.

I quilted it in an all-over meandering stitch which I think does a good job of pulling the whole quilt together.

I especially like the quilting on the back where it gives a sense of the flowers scattered helter-skelter in a rolling field.

As usual, you can get more information on this quilt by going to my website and clicking on "Shop Now."

Downhill Skiing and Making Potholders

2010-02-20T10:37:00.005-06:00

Inspired to try to use up some of the leftovers from the unwanted wall hanging I blogged about yesterday, I made a couple of potholders while watching the Olympics on TV last night.

I've always enjoyed the Winter Olympics more than those that take place in the summer. The men's downhill skiing last night enthralled me as I stitched away. (Once I commented to a good friend, "In my next life, I'm going to be an Olympic downhill skier." She gave me a quizzical look with her head tilted to one side and said, "But . . . you're not even a good downhill skier now." I don't know why she had to look at it so logically. Ya gotta love true friends for telling it like it is.)

I didn't use a traditional block pattern for these . . .

. . . I just threw things together for both sides.

As for the wall quilt I talked about yesterday that I was going to dump, one of my quilting blog buddies, Beth of Love Laugh Quilt, gave me the inspiration to make it into a doll quilt. The wall hanging is only about 15-1/2" x 16-1/2" so I think I'll add a wider border top and bottom to give it better proportions and finish it up as a doll quilt to give at Easter time to a very special little toddler.

I feel much, much better about that than dumping it. Best of all, it will be out of my UFO box!

I'm Getting Ruthless

2010-02-19T12:21:00.007-06:00

Ruthless is defined as merciless, pitiless, relentless, remorseless. (Also sadistic.) Yup, that's me all right.

I've been digging in a couple of boxes of UFOs weeding out ones I want to finish and those that I would be wiser to dump.

Today we have a dump-ee. Dump-er? Dump-ped?

I started this wall hanging a few years ago when my husband was still teaching third grade thinking it would be good to hang in his classroom during Easter time. No matter what I've done to it, I just don't like it.

It's a shame, too, because I tried to use such a cute widdle wabbit fabric.

But, come on, there are so many quilting projects I'm excited about doing, why should I waste my time on something that has turned out to be a chore? (I read once that if a quilter isn't failing at least 50% of the time, s/he isn't being creative enough. I think this here little project definitely helped push me toward creativity . . . in other words, failing 50% of the time.)

As usual, I have many extra squares that I cut for the four patch blocks. I don't want to stuff them in my scrap box, so I think I feel some potholders coming on. Anyone in need of some new potholders?

Building Bib Inventory

2010-02-16T20:35:00.006-06:00

Wa-hoo, these bibs are fun to make!

I start by picking out an old traditional block pattern and make it in a 6" size. Then I add a bottom, two sides and top to form the basic bib shape. Making them gives me the chance, if I wish, to experiment with blocks I've never pieced before. Sometimes, I find a particular block doesn't go together easily and I make a note that this wouldn't be one I'd want to repeat forty or fifty times for a full sized quilt.

Of course, the reverse is true, too. I'm finding blocks that I like piecing and that appeal to me visually. They give me all kinds of ideas for new quilt patterns and lay outs.

I get to play with a variety of fun fabrics and can finish a whole project (one bib) in a short time. Not quite instant, but still gratification!

After the front of the bib is constructed, I pick out a coordinating fabric for the back. It gets sandwiched with batting and the front, and then the quilting can begin.

Lastly, I attach a snap fastener at the top and . . . one more bib to add to the collection that will eventually be listed on my website. These really are fun to make.

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Springtime Applique"

2010-02-15T08:01:00.002-06:00

Not to toot my own horn, but I think this is a pretty little quilt. It measures 37" x 45-1/4".

The delicate colors remind me of springtime flowers and the scalloped edges might even be said to resemble flower petals if one wanted to take the imagery a step farther.

On this quilt I broke my rule of doing only machine quilting, which I feel ensures durability, on my baby quilts. I did do a small amount of hand quilting around the circle clusters to make them pop out a little.

The backing fabric is a lavender with small white flowers. I think it was a good choice because all the machine quilting plus the minimal hand quilting show up quite well on this reverse side.

Usually I say that I want my baby quilts to be used and worn to shreds. But I have to admit that this particular quilt would make a lovely wall hanging in a baby's room, if so desired. (Oh heck, I'd still rather see it used!)

As always, you can go to my website to see other pictures of this quilt, or contact me for more information or questions.

P.S. Does anyone know the name of this appliqued block of circles in a cluster? I've been unable to find a name although I know I've seen it on old quilts.

Almost Like Christmas

2010-02-13T07:14:00.005-06:00

It's almost like Christmas when you find a piece of quilting that's been tucked away for a while. Either that or I've gone 'round the bend and my memory is on the way out.

I just found these two completed baby quilt tops I had made from Evelyn Sloppy's book "40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts." Neither will be for sale because they're obviously not my original designs. But as soon as they're finished, they will be ready to be given to sweet, little, new arrivals. I already know of one eagerly anticipated birth due end of this summer.

This one is entitled "Cheerio" and appears on page 41 of the above mentioned book. What fun this one was to make! I could do it over and over again using my rather ample stash of scraps. I put a slightly different border on mine than was shown in the book.

This is "Peppermint Twist." As the name might imply, it was done in red and white in the book (page 111), but I choose lavendar and white for mine. It's constructed of just one simple block reversed and went together quickly.

Am I going to work on finishing these two quilts right away? Probably not as I was gone a lot this past week and never got back to working on more of my reversible quilted baby bibs I'm trying to get ready for listing on my website. But no matter. The two tops are now hanging on my design wall and I'm enjoying looking at them. It's been so long since I've seen them that it's almost like finding forgotten presents!

"Sampler Blocks" Baby Quilt Done

2010-02-11T07:06:00.006-06:00

It's 6:40 Thursday morning and I just finished the last few stitches of the binding on my Sampler Blocks baby quilt.

I didn't end up getting into bed early on Tuesday night, but last night I was reading in bed by 8:30. (My husband maintains I don't "read in bed" but rather "sleep with the book on my chest." Books last a long time this way.) After my requisite eight hours (maybe a little more last night), I was awake at 5:15 this morning. As soon as my morning latte was brewed, I was sitting sipping and finishing up the binding. (Now that's the way to start a good day!)

I'm very pleased with the way this quilt turned out. My daughter saw the it "in person" for the first time yesterday and suggested I make more quilts using this multiple block pattern. Besides lending an old-fashioned feel to the quilt, including all the different blocks certainly does add eye-appeal. Using the same group of fabrics but switching them around in the various patterns held my interest with no problem throughout all twenty blocks. I really wouldn't hesitate to start in again today on another quilt of the same motif. I'd have to select twenty different blocks this time around, of course. There are so many lovely traditional blocks to choose from that I know I could happily make many, many quilts and never repeat a block.

Although the backing is pieced, it's still simple.

Okay, binding done. Check. Start new project. Check. But whoa a minute here! I think I'm going to be strict with myself and sandwich and quilt another (maybe two?) top(s) I have completed on my design wall. As much as I say piecing a quilt is my favorite part, there really is a lot of satisfaction to be had by holding the totally finished project in my hands.

Happy quilting!

The Home Stretch - Binding

2010-02-09T19:14:00.003-06:00

Earlier today I promised myself I was going to get into bed early tonight with a good book. I didn't sleep well last night and was draggin' my wagon all day today.

But, of course, now when I'm so close to finishing my sampler block baby quilt, I can't resist putting in a couple of hours tonight hand sewing on the binding.

I once asked a friend who is an extremely talented quilter what her favorite part of the whole quilting process is. Without hesitation, she replied, "The binding. Because when that's done, I can start something new!"

Featured Quilt of the Week - 'Three Cheers for Bright Squares'

2010-02-08T10:58:00.008-06:00

For this baby quilt and in order to purposefully create a 'scrappy' look, I used many different fabrics.

Vivid colors make it a cheerful, stimulating panorama for baby's developing eyesight.

I carried the same patchwork of colors into the piano keys border.

There's also a lot of color in the pieced backing of this quilt.

The back could easily have been used as the front of another quilt! I'm sure 150 years ago, when fabric wasn't as readily available as it is now, a young mother might have pieced a quilt top much like this one . . . using remnants left over from making clothing for her family.

Because this baby quilt measures 35½" x 39", it's small enough that a toddler could easily carry it around him or herself. It's also a good size to cover a little one while in the car seat or stroller.

If you'd like to read more about and see other pictures of this baby quilt, simply click here.

Rescued from the Home for Wayward Quilts

2010-02-06T20:02:00.010-06:00

Okay, this baby quilt top really didn't have to be rescued in any way . . . just sprung from the "To Finish" box that it's been trapped in until I could figure out how to quilt it.

I knew it was too busy for much else other than an all-over quilting motif, but the right inspiration just wouldn't come. I think I've got it figured out now.

Also I wasn't sure of the fabric I wanted to use for the backing. Now I think it's going to have to be a pieced backing made from the two fabrics I couldn't decide between, because it's so big that neither piece totals quite enough yardage! Solves that problem.

The design of this quilt came from my love of the old, traditional block patterns. I used about nine different fabrics, mixing and matching them in the twenty blocks. All the blocks (whew, took a long time to construct all of them!) are held together by the yellow dotted fabric of the sashing and outer border.

I had a great time learning how all the different blocks were made. While I gained a lot of piecing knowledge from the experience, I also now have some new "favorite" blocks that I know I'll use again in other quilts.

Here are close-ups of just three of the blocks picked randomly from the quilt.

This one is called the Improved Four Patch block.

The above block is called Tombstone Quilt. Terrible name, but attractive block!

Then we have the Cheyenne block. This one really appeals to me, and I know I'll use it again.

I hope to get started on the quilting soon and will post pictures when it's done.

Working on the Bibs

2010-02-05T21:03:00.008-06:00

Here it is Friday night and I'm ready for a big night out to celebrate the week's end. Not. More likely that I'm going to be ready for an early-to-bed night than anything else.

Most of my energy this week has been spent trying to hold back the hours in each day from slipping through my fingers so quickly. (And how's that workin' for ya? I can report I was totally unsuccessful and am now exhausted.)

Not having posted anything on this blog since Monday is not usual for me. But try as I might this week, I couldn't get into my quilt studio until today.

But . . . a good day it was. Besides doing a bit of much needed clean-up in the room, I spent time trying to figure out the new pattern for my reversible quilted baby bibs since I've decided to retire my old style which tied in the back.

I've been debating whether to use a snap or Velcro for the closure, and I think I've settled on the snap. Two things I don't like about the Velcro on the bibs: 1) They can be very scratchy on baby's delicate skin; and 2) the Velcro tends to grab onto lots of other fabrics in the washing machine and/or dryer often resulting in a twisted mess.

This is the front of the first bib I made today.

And the back side.

Second one . . .

. . . and the back view.

Both of the above bibs were made in the pillowcase method with no extra binding on the edges, and I'm pleased with this design. This will probably be the way I'll now be making them to list for sale on my website.

The bibs measure approximately 8-1/2" from side to side and 12" from bottom of the bib to the top of the snap closure. This size makes them very adequate for when baby starts feeding himself and food tends to make it neatly into his mouth only a small percentage of the time!

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Double Pinwheels at the State Fair"

2010-02-01T11:04:00.001-06:00

The Double Pinwheel block is so appropriate for a baby quilt. Do they still make those little hand-held toys that are plastic blades on a stick and whirl when you blow on them? Even if not, you can have your own colorful pinwheels on this quilt.

Not only was this block enjoyable to make, but I had a lot of fun making it as scrappy as I could.

Digging through my considerable stash of 30s fabrics to find my very favorite ones was no chore at all. Of course, when I finished, it looked as if there had been a whopper of an explosion that had strewn all these cheerful prints all over my quilt studio.

This quilt is square in shape, measuring 42" x 42" and would be great for a little boy or girl.

The coordinating backing I chose is a light purple with a small white flower on it.

I quilted it with all-over wavy lines to represent the breeze which will keep the double pinwheels spinning, and spinning, and spinning.

You can see more pictures and read more about this quilt by clicking here.

This particular quilt is one of my favorites that I've made to date. I hope it appeals to you for your own little one or perhaps to give as a special gift for a newborn or toddler you know.

Mini Minis

2010-01-30T16:50:00.009-06:00

List maker that I am (sorry, I cannot break the habit), I use a daily planner. This little notebook contains all kinds of notes to myself. Notations of things to be accomplished on certain days of the week each week, weekly meetings, appointments, certain days of the month that bills have to be paid, and such.

I also have a sheet at the beginning of each month on which I've written reminders of things to do that specific month. For instance, one of the things on January's page is "Order seeds for garden." One for March, "Take portable dinner up to Overlook and watch sunset." An item for July is "Remember to eat breakfast on the deck." September, "Stock up on good supply of bird seed for winter." You get the idea.

One of the notations for February is "Schedule time this month to make things that can be used for Christmas gifts." I know it's not February for a couple more days (whoops, just one more day) but I'm so far behind on January's list that I thought I'd cut my losses and get a running start on February.

A little explanation before I go on. I like to use itty-bitty quilts to decorate small areas in the house.

This one is on the side of a bookcase.

This one is above a kitchen counter, beneath an overhead cabinet.

In the winter, this one has a place on the kitchen side of a dividing half wall.

I've always liked this little quilt because it looks so cheerful in the cold, winter months.

So the idea came to me to make some others this size and style that I could perhaps give as small gifts at holiday time.

I made two of each of these pictured here, so I have four ready for next December. (They are all 4-1/2" square.)

On the back, I sewed a hanging sleeve and inserted a miniature dowel so they could easily be hung on a tiny nail.

Wow. I've actually got a few things made for Christmas of 2010! Too bad no one gave me a nudge with a cattle prod the first of January. I might have had better luck with the things on that list.

Baby Bibs

2010-01-28T10:49:00.007-06:00

In the past I've made and sold a lot of quilted baby bibs.

This is the style I've always made before. With the bias binding extended so the bib could be tied on. (Sorry the quilting doesn't show up on any of these pictures.)

They are reversible and become softer and more absorbent the more they're washed.

Recently my daughter suggested (she's an idea-person just like her dad . . . always thinking too much . . . they drive me crazy) I revise my pattern so that the bib closed in back with either velcro or a snap. Hmm, actually a good idea. Easier on and off. (I would have thought of that sooner or later. Uh-huh, sure.)

So this is my first prototype with a snap closure. Only problem I'm having is to get the bias binding to go around the two top curved pieces smoothly enough. Not an easy job, I'm finding. (Lots of blue smoke coming out of my ears while I'm fighting with it.)

The snap closure still allows the bib to be easily reversible. No problem there. I just have to figure out a way to get the binding to go on easier (painstakingly slow to sew around those tight curves) and lay flatter without wrinkles, crinkles, tucks and bunches. I think next I might try pillowcasing it with no binding.

Back to the drawing board.

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Savannah Summer"

2010-01-25T08:31:00.001-06:00

The contrast of the white-on-white background of this baby quilt with the rainbow of 30s reproduction fabrics makes me think of summer time and lovely warm days. Imagine spreading this quilt on the grass next to your lawn chair, stripping baby down to diaper only and letting the gentle sun warm that baby-soft skin for a short time.

The Split Rail Fence blocks set on-point led to the precise piecing that lends a crispness to the design. Straight-line quilting in the center of the quilt mirrors the block lines.

I used wavy lines for quilting in the border.

The coordinated backing makes the quilt reversible . . .

. . . and yet still offers interest and lots of color.

Just go to my website to put this darling quilt in your shopping cart.

I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have about this or any of the other quilts I have for sale on my website. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting!

When The Cat's Away . . .

2010-01-23T19:58:00.004-06:00

. . . the mouse will play! While dear husband was off on his jaunt with men friends today, I spent a bit of time quilting.

Nothing like a little motivation to get me moving first thing this morning. I very carefully went out to do morning animal chores. I was extra cautious since I was home alone and didn't want any accidents on the ice. Before I went out, I told Zoey the Wonder Dog that if I wasn't back in in a half hour, she should dial 911. Happily, all went well.

Then I did a few other things that had to be done, and put some lentils on to simmer, made dressing for a salad, and cooked and refrigerated some vanilla pudding for tonight's dessert.

Wahoo . . . into my quilt room I went. Put on the TV and (kinda) watched skiing and figure skating while I sewed, sewed, sewed.

Here's the finished top made with the Flying Birds block. The color representation is much better than the picture I posted yesterday. I'm not a good enough photographer to figure out why the color is so bad some times and much better others. The artificial light in the room is so good. Well, for seeing, obviously. Not so much for picture taking apparently.

This quilt went together easily and I really liked working with the larger sized blocks. A good day. Why wouldn't it be? I quilted!

Big Birds

2010-01-22T13:54:00.003-06:00

This is what is on my design wall in my quilt studio right now. That's where I want to be. In my quilt studio right now. But I have a big batch of dishes to do, Oatmeal Cookies to mix and bake, a dinner to plan, blah-blah-blah-blah. Oh, and of course, this very important blog post to get up.

This block is called Flying Birds and the finished size is 9". Wow. I haven't made that big a block in a long time. (Have I ever made that big a block?) The quilt is to be another baby quilt (what else?), and so far I'm just playing around with the blocks as I get them done, trying to figure out how I want to use them.

All the fabric is pulled out of my stash. The backing will be (as of this moment anyway) the blue in the block in the upper row, third from the left. I have three yards of it so it will be good to use some of it in this quilt. I bought the piece about a year ago online to match something else but it was just "off" enough to look awful. We all know that happens every now and then when you send your order and money out into cyberspace.

I'm going to stop now so I can get back in the kitchen to do what has to be done and then maybe have time to sneak back into the quilt studio and make some more big bird blocks.

Time Out

2010-01-21T14:33:00.004-06:00

The center of my Grandmother's Pride block baby quilt is done along with a first border.

But this is the partially done second try at an outer border I've made today and I'm not liking it any more than the first one I did.

So I think the quilt (such as it is) is going to have to hang on the design wall for a while until the right idea comes to me. Sometimes I think either a quilt has to have a rest period, or I do. I need to give this one time to tell me what to do to finish it.

I used to get very frustrated at not being able to work a project all the way through to the end, but now know it's just a little mole hill.

Is it a mountain or a mole hill? When my husband was teaching third grade, often a little person (or group of little people) would come up to his desk crying or angry. Somebody (or more than one somebody) would be very upset. He would patiently listen to what everyone had to say and then pose the question, "Is this a mountain or a mole hill?" At the beginning of the year with a new group of kids, often they didn't understand what that meant.

As the year went on, he was always amused when a child got upset for one reason or another and before he, as the teacher, had to enter into the fray, another student would say in a very teacher-like voice, "Billy, is that a mountain or a mole hill?" And the discussion would start, the situation would be worked through and Roy never had to say one word.

So my little mole hill of a problem concerning the best outer border on this quilt is no big deal. Rather than remaining stubborn and banging my head against the design wall this afternoon, I'm going to start on another project I already have in mind. And I'm confident that if I just wait for the appropriate moment, the solution for this quilt will easily come to me.

A Peek At The Latest Baby Quilt

2010-01-20T08:20:00.006-06:00

It's funny how I can have an idea in my head of a quilt I want to make, but almost from the get-go plans get changed.

I wanted to use this fabric as the background and outer border focal fabric and imagined using it with shades of pink and purple. The purples jumped out at me immediately. Easy on that count.

What about the pinks? Let me say, I've got a fairly good stash of pinks, but do you think I could find even one piece that looked good with my focal fabric? Nope. So then I tried some greens. Ooooh, no, not at all. How about some darker yellows? That floated like a lead balloon also.

Well, why don't I use just the two purples? That idea was starting to sound very good. (Small delay in progress while I put away stacks and stacks of pink, green and yellow fabric.)

I'm using the Grandmother's Pride block and have the twelve of them that will be the center of the quilt done.

Another little change the quilt insisted upon . . . originally, I had intended to put the blocks together without sashing but once again, the picture in my mind's eye didn't match with the way the blocks looked when I got them all up on my design wall. Even though I really like this particular block, I think it needed the sashing as a frame.

So I'm in the process of adding the sashing and will try to post a picture later today (or tomorrow . . . the house has GOT to be shoveled out today) of the center completed.

Stay tuned . . .

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Barnyard Parade"

2010-01-18T07:48:00.002-06:00

This quaint quilt (measuring 39-1/4" x 47") features strips of farm animals marching across the center of it. Cows and chickens and pigs, oh my! What young child isn't fascinated by animals early on?

When I started constructing this quilt I knew I wanted to use a pinwheel block as a border. Those whirly-twirly pinwheels remind me of the windmills that pumped cold, fresh, clean water up to the animals on farms of days gone by.

When I was very young, one of my favorite things was to go with my grandpa on a ride out into farmland to farmer friends of his, Mr. and Mrs. Bye. There Grandpa would purchase cartons of their chickens' eggs to bring back to town and distribute to the families of his seven grown children.

In my mind, the ride down the dusty roads was always sunny, quiet and idyllic. Grandpa would point out to me all the different animals grazing in the fields, crops growing and which streams were good for fishing.

When we arrived at the farm, there was always a custard pie on the kitchen table (my grandpa's favorite) and we would sit and visit over a piece of pie and a glass of ice cold milk. Sometimes Mr. or Mrs. Bye would take me out to see a litter of new little piglets or baby chicks.

Making this quilt conjured up lots of good memories for me. I like to think that the colors I chose represent the "feel" of farm life.

Even the backing reminds me of a bale of straw. Although I can assure you the soft cotton feels nothing like the prickly straw did!

You can read more about and see other pictures of this quilt on my website,
www.mamapeaquilts.com.

What Does Your Stash of Quilting Books Look Like?

2010-01-16T12:40:00.008-06:00

I was looking at a website offering quilting books for sale and debating with myself if I really needed any more. Heaven knows, I've got enough ideas and projects already lined up to keep me busy for . . . oh say, the next 30 or 40 years.

For Christmas I got a book on free-motion quilting that I had asked for. But before that, I can't remember the last time I purchased a quilting book.

What's your criteria for buying a new book to add to your collection? Do you automatically purchase the newest publication from your favorite author/quilter? Do you buy a book for a specific pattern? Does a book need to offer several patterns you like before you invest in it?

I know I have books on my shelves that I've probably outgrown and should pass on to someone else. But they're like old friends. Paging through them brings back memories of how amateur-ish my skills were when I first got them. And yet these were the books from which I learned so much.

Do you get most of your quilting ideas from books? Or do they come from quilting magazines you subscribe to? If you think I have a lot of quilting books, you should see my collection of magazines that I just can't part with. Maybe that's a topic for another blog post!

A Really Good Reference Book

2010-01-14T19:41:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Eva wrote a comment on my post of this past Monday regarding my baby quilt, "Little Boy Blue." She noticed the corner squares in the sashing on this little quilt and wondered if there was a tutorial somewhere that would show her how to do that. I wrote back to her suggesting she could look up easy-to-follow instructions in a great reference book (her local library would probably have a copy) that I know of.

The book is (take a deep breath . . . it's a killer of a title) "The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide from A to Z - Hundreds of Tips and Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking." Whew. The editor is Ellen Pahl, and it's put out by Rodale.

I've had my copy since l998 and use it A LOT. I don't think I've ever gone to it and not found the information I was looking for.

The text is detailed, easy to understand and the illustrations are colorful and extremely good.

It covers a wide range of quilting topics. Just opening the book randomly here on my desk:

Fusible Interfacing - How to Use for Applique, Tips for Successful Fusing, and Reversing a Pattern using Fusible Interfacing are a few of the things covered in this section.

Marking Quilt Tops - Oh, my. There are five pages on this topic. Everything you ever wanted to know . . . plus a little more!

Bindings and Other Edge Finishes - This section has ten pages and includes How to Make a Continuous Sew-and-Cut Bias Binding. I refer to this every time I make a continuous bias binding to make sure I'm doing it right. Mental block there, Mama Pea?

Cathedral Window Quilt Block - Clear instructions including excellent pictures on how to construct this (seemingly complicated) block.

The price on the back of my book is $29.95 but I just checked on Amazon and they currently list new copies from $10.99 and used from $9.05. Well worth the investment in my estimation.

The book is so well done that I've sat down with it of an evening and read parts of it like a novel . . . and I always learn something new!

If this piques your interest, as I suggested to Eva, you could check out a copy at your local library before deciding if you wanted to purchase a copy of your own.

Winter Tablecloth Completed

2010-01-13T15:26:00.006-06:00

I just put up a blog post over on A Home Grown Journal telling about how my husband forcibly locked me in my quilt studio for the whole day yesterday. And how profitable it was. I finished the was-really-a-Christmas-tree-skirt-but-now-is-a-winter-tablecloth-quilt.

Here it is on my design wall. All done. Quilted and bound. I used Thermore for batting which is super-thin and drapes nicely.

I had a big hunk of blue print fabric that I've been wondering if I would ever use that I thought would be a good match for the backing. I still have that big hunk of blue print fabric that I'm wondering if I will ever use . . . because it wasn't a good match at all. I ended up using a nice white on white which is probably more appropriate anyway.

I didn't know exactly how the different shape of the quilt, which I really, really like, would fit on our little kitchen table, but it's just fine.

Now the first guy who knocks over a glass of red wine on it is in BIG trouble!

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Little Boy Blue"

2010-01-11T20:00:00.001-06:00

I don't know what the statistics have been in your neck of the woods, but we've had a preponderance of girl babies born for ever so long among the births of family and friends. As they say, must be something in the water!

However, if you DO know of a male child that has been born and would like a handmade baby quilt, this might be the one for you.

Bold blocks outlined in white sashing with multi-colored corner squares. Perfect for that new little boy.

This quilt is square in size, 39" x 39", and has a piano-key border.

I quilted it with straight lines (tending more toward masculine than feminine, I thought) that show up nicely on the predominantly blue backing.

My preference is to make quilts that don't specifically say "boy" or "girl" but I have to admit that all the time I was constructing this one, I was imagining it as belonging to and keeping a little boy baby warm.

However, if this trend of female babies popping out continues, maybe I SHOULD pull out my stash of pinks and indulge in a couple of strictly "For Baby Girls Only" quilts!

You can read more about this quilt (and see more pictures) along with others I have for sale on my quilt website. Feel free to contact me at mamapea@mamapeaquilts.com if you should ever have any questions about any of my quilts.
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Snowman Door Hanger

2010-01-09T15:52:00.003-06:00

I thought you might like seeing this quilt-y snowman I made a couple of years ago.

After the Christmas decorations get packed away, I have a small snowman collection that I put out for a month or so. When I saw the pattern for this snowman door hanger, I thought he would fit right in with my other snowman decorations.

The pattern was in the December, 2006, issue of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.

I've always planned to make more of them to give as gifts at holiday time, but haven't yet quite gotten around to doing so.

There's always next year. My quilt "To Do" list really could use a few more items on it. (That was a joke.)

EEEOWWW-ARRRGH!

2010-01-08T19:07:00.004-06:00

That was a primal scream of frustration escaping my delicate, little, lady-like lips. Boy, there be a big, black cloud over our house lately. Both hubby and I are having another rough day. Nuthin' is going right, it's now 7 p.m. and neither of us feel we've gotten diddly-squat done today. Lots of good intentioned starts ending quickly and abruptly with our heads making contact with the old brick wall . . . boink!

Now that my computer is back up and running, we're having trouble with our high-speed satellite connection. Then two and a half hours ago when I first tried to get this post up, I found two glitches in the blog program. Lucky for me, my sick daughter/blog administrator was able to help me via e-mail to get them straightened out. More fun and games to keep us on our toes.

But I shall refrain from carrying on like a spoiled brat. Neither Roy nor I is suffering from the scads of germs that seem to be knocking down friends and family like so many bowling pins. Chicken Mama (our daughter) has been laid low (poor baby, and she's out of kleenex, too) and some schools in our nearest city have had to close because they've lost more than half their teaching staffs to colds, flus, and other mysterious maladies.

Nor have we fallen and done serious injury to any body parts on the glare ice that surrounds us. There is ice EVERYWHERE. Unless we get an appreciable amount of snow, the ice is going to be with us until spring. (Oh, horrible thought.) It is truly dangerous to drive or walk anywhere.

So I'm going to pack an overnight bag with my jammies and go to my quilt studio. No, wait. I don't have to do that. I have a bedroom and quilt studio both within the walls of the house. Why am I complaining about anything? I'll just go quilt until this black cloud moves on. (Dream on, Mama Pea, dream on.)

But I have gotten some quilting done in the last week or so when I was disconnected from my blogging by my ailing computer.

This is going to be a tablecloth to use in the winter time. Like now. As soon as I get it finished. It's going on the table.

I really like using a quilted tablecloth but I've realized I don't have one that doesn't have a flower motif. (WHAT was I thinking?!) Somehow, a tablecloth that shouts, "Spring! Summer! Flowers! Tra-La!" doesn't do it for me in January.

Connecting Threads had a really good sale before Christmas and advertised this kit. It was a Christmas tree skirt. I ordered it (under $16), made a couple of little adjustments, and it's going to be a great tablecloth to use in the winter months.

Different shape, I know, but I think that just adds to the attractiveness of it. I'll be sure to post another picture the first time I use it on the table.

I wanted to have this post up first thing this morning but, as I (complained) said, I just couldn't get to it until now. Better late than never.

It's great to be blogging again!

When Technology Goes Belly-Up

2010-01-06T11:37:00.001-06:00

Mama Pea's daughter / web administrator here.

Mom's computer went belly-up last week, and I soon discovered that the required repair was far beyond my capabilities. So, off it went to the PC doctor.

The old beast came home late yesterday (the computer, that is, not Mama Pea!), and she tried to catch up for a couple of hours last night . . . planning to return to posting today.

Unfortunately, with the cold dawn this morning came the same problems, and so your favorite blogging quilter (quilting blogger?) is out of commission yet again.

She's tearing her hair out in frustration, so I KNOW she'll be back here just as soon as humanly (technologically!) possible.

Thanks for being patient.

Featured Quilt of the Week - "Baby's Beach Blanket"

2010-01-04T07:38:00.000-06:00

This is one heckuva time of the year to be featuring a baby quilt with this particular name! Here in northeastern Minnesota it is currently -10° as I write this. Perhaps I should temporarily rename the quilt "Baby's Close-to-the-Heat-Source Blanket."

Regardless of what we choose to call it, this is a very colorful quilt, and I remember the fun I had selecting the fabrics that resulted in this great scrappy look.

The measurements are 37-1/2 x 43", and I quilted it using diagonal cross-hatching with wavy lines in the borders.

The backing fabric is a rich yellow-gold with small red and blue flower heads.

Where did the design for this quilt come from? Well, I have a favorite book called "Around the Block Again, More Rotary-Cut Blocks from Judy Hopkins." It contains instructions for making a myriad of blocks (about 200 of them) in many different sizes, from 4" to 14". Because I really enjoy working with the old, traditional block patterns, I use this book a lot. In it I found the block I used in "Baby's Beach Blanket." It's a simple one called "The Friendship Quilt" block. Most likely, the block was first designed so that the women involved in making the quilt could sign their names in the blank center square with perhaps a message for the intended recipient of the quilt.

But just look at the interesting things that happen when you line several of the blocks up horizontally and vertically. New designs are formed six ways to Sunday! What fun and eye appeal.

So whether this baby quilt is spread on a warm, sandy beach for a little one to play on or whether it's main purpose is to be wrapped around a wee babe to ward of winter's chill, it will do the job quite adequately . . . and maybe even become a treasured possession to be passed on down to a younger sibling in the future. Nothing would make me happier!

You can read more about this quilt and others I have for sale on my website,
Mama Pea Quilts - Handmade Baby Quilts.

Hope you all have a good week!

I Stole A Good Idea

2010-01-02T10:06:00.006-06:00

A couple of weeks back, my good blogging friend, Beth, over at Love Laugh Quilt, blogged about a cute little quilt she made for hanging on a cupboard handle, or door knob, or some such place for decoration. She had used Christmas fabric and was giving the tiny quilt as a gift.

I've always liked using small, miniature quilts as decorations throughout the house and commented to Beth on what a clever idea hers was for a Christmas gift.

Bless her little, ol' quiltin' heart, a short time later I received an envelope in the mail stuffed with leftover fabrics from her mini quilt project.

I purposefully kept myself from referring back to her post (dated December 14th) for fear I would blatantly copy her too closely.

These are the two little quilts I came up with.

This one measures 8" x 9-3/4"

I had to dig in my stash for the outer border and binding on this one.

Seven and a quarter inches square is what this one measures.

The binding is the only fabric from my stash.

I still have enough focus fabric to squeeze one or possibly two more minis out of it and would like to do so. They were fun to make. (I.e., how to start and finish a quilt in a couple of hours!)

Mine got made too late (obviously) for giving this Christmas . . . but thanks to you, Beth, I've got a running start on next year. Thanks for sharing your idea . . . and fabric!

P.S. I mentioned a day or so ago on my other blog that I was having trouble getting into my e-mail program. Apparently it has been corrupted (whatever the heck that means!) and it's still not working. So if you've sent me a message and haven't heard back, please be patient. If all goes well, I should (eventually) be able to get my messages and reply. (I'm just so thankful all other programs are working!)

If I Only Knew What I Was Doing . . .

2009-12-30T19:54:00.009-06:00

My latest finished baby quilt to share with you here.

I had the idea I wanted to make a quilt that looked old, as if it had been made from random fabrics a quilter might have had available in her scrap basket a hundred years ago.

Good idea, but what block to use? Nine-Patch is about as simplistic and "old" as it gets. Then to add some interest, I decided to put a border around each 9-Patch. I didn't realize until I had the bordered 9-Patches nearly all put together with sashing that I had made . . . a Framed 9-Patch Block! Duh.

I'm partial to dots and had this little red dotted fabric for backing. To me it looked very basic, and complimented the "old" look of the fabrics on the front.

The faint diagonal intersecting lines you can see on the back of the quilt are the areas where I didn't do any quilting. Kinda neat the way that turned out. I quilted it so that the colored squares in the 9-Patches would stand out, but the pattern the quilting formed on the back was a pleasant surprise. Like I said, if I only knew what I was doing . . .

Featured Quilt Of The Week - "First Steps"

2009-12-28T07:01:00.002-06:00

Did your grandmother wear aprons? Mine did. They were full length ones that slipped over the head and tied around the waist. Several of the 30s reproduction fabrics I used in this baby quilt reminded me of Grandma's apron prints. As the mother of seven children of her own, she had lots of grandchildren and saw many toddlers take their first steps. Because my mom and I lived with her and my grandpa for the first three years of my life while my dad was off in the war, I'm sure she saw me take mine!

I don't know if the name of this week's featured quilt, "First Steps," came from me thinking of my grandma's aprons and then, of course, her love of children or whether I saw the blocks of brightly colored fabric as steps to climb upon. Either way, the name seems to fit.

I softened the pieced, straight lines of this quilt by rounding the corners and quilting it with a shallow scallop making it sturdy and ready to withstand years of everyday use.

The backing material is a yellow and white print with tiny pink flowers.

The size of this scrap quilt is 38" x 43-1/2", has 100% cotton batting and, like all my quilts, is machine washable and dry-able.

Does a special baby in your life need a gift that will be used, loved, and enjoyed for years to come? One of my handmade, one-of-a-kind baby quilts would be perfect, if I do say so myself! You can get more information on this quilt and others I have for sale on my website.

One Pooped Santa

2009-12-26T07:48:00.003-06:00

Looks to me as if the Jolly Old Elf didn't even make it back to his comfy bed at the North Pole before collapsing.

Hope you all had a really nice Christmas Day. We weren't able to make it to our daughter and son-in-law's yesterday because of bad weather conditions.

But this morning, we have the truck packed and ready to go. Wish us luck on our hour's drive back into the boonies to Swamp River Ridge for our Christmas celebration, one day late.

The Ghost of Christmas Past

2009-12-24T19:06:00.008-06:00

It was totally accidental that I came across this Christmas wall hanging today. I made it sometime around ten years ago, and was so unhappy with it when finished that I never hung it.

It was a pattern from I-can't-remember-where . . . I've blotted it out of my mind. The size is 30" x 30" and it's basically pieced with machine appliqued green holly leaves and yellow stars.

That big plain square in the middle is just too out there, in your face, and unpleasant. I probably should have used a green or red fabric for it instead of the lighter one. Or appliqued some more holly leaves . . . or stars . . . or something on it. That would have helped. Maybe.

As you can see by this picture, the yellow stars were cut from a very thin fabric and the print of the square they're appliqued onto shows right through the stars. Not good. Poor planning.

Please notice the red and green triangles that form the inner border. There are a whole lot of those little buggers that I had to cut and then piece together for the four sides. Got them all done . . . and they were WAY TOO BIG TO FIT. There was a big mistake in the cutting instructions for the triangles in the pattern. I tried reducing the number of triangles, but that didn't work. So there was nothing to do but take them all apart, figure out the size they should have been cut in the first place, trim them down and put them back together.

Have I ever mentioned that math isn't my strong suit? My figures were incorrect and they were still too big the second time around. One more time. Took them apart (all four rows of them) and cut each triangle piece to a new, yet smaller size. I was a little more intelligent the third time when putting them back together. I did only one side, instead of all four, to be sure I had it right that time.

By then, I was pretty sure I didn't like the wall hanging much anymore.

Since I had machine appliqued the leaves and stars, I went ahead and machine quilted the rest of it. Did a lot of stitching in the ditch and way too much stippling in all the areas of dark green . . . which didn't show up for beans! (But that may have been all for the good because I was just learning to stipple/meander at the time and I've got to admit it isn't pretty.)

I got as far as sewing a hanging sleeve on the back of it, and I can remember thinking as I finished the last few stitches that I was NEVER going to hang the blasted thing . . . and I didn't. It's been folded up and hidden away for years until I came upon it today. Curious that I found it right now during the holiday season. A real ghost of Christmas past come back to haunt me!

Featured Quilt of the Week - "The Big Top"

2009-12-21T06:05:00.002-06:00

Can't you almost hear the cheerful hoots and toots of the calliope when you look at the bright, contemporary colors of this quilt?

"The Big Top" got its start while I was perusing a fabric store trying to find a particular green I needed for another quilt. Somehow, the fabric shown above just reached out and grabbed me as I walked by, and I couldn't resist it. The colors and design immediately reminded me of a circus or carnival. I knew I had to use it in a baby quilt. Needless to say, the fabric came home with me, and I pulled coordinating pieces for the front out of my stash.

I had no specific pattern for this quilt in mind but rather started with the center square and proceeded with a vague idea that I wanted the design to somehow radiate out from there.

I particularly like the red blocks with the stars that seem to burst as they stream out from the center. (Hmmm, maybe we have a hybrid here between Fourth of July fireworks and a circus tent!)

Quilting it with wavy lines added even more to the motion of the quilt. Lots of movement and color to stimulate the little one who is the recipient of this quilt.

The size is 39-1/2" square: a great size to keep Baby snug and warm in the car seat this winter. And, it's just the right size - not too big - to pack into the diaper bag.

Check out this quilt along with several others for sale on my website. As always, feel free to contact me (top of side bar) if you have any questions or desire more information about any of the baby quilts you see here.

Wishing you a warm, safe, and relaxing holiday season celebrated with loved ones and full of cheer! Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Is Coming

2009-12-18T20:45:00.006-06:00

Whoa! Hold on here. Have I completely lost it? Nope, I do know that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and it's Christmas that is fast approaching.

I still haven't found time in the past couple of days to spend on any on-going or new quilting projects so thought I'd show you this (old) piece. Seeing other people's work is something I really enjoy as it frequently gives me ideas so I'm hoping some of my quilts might do the same for you.

"Thanksgiving Is Coming" is the name I gave this wall hanging that I made a few years ago. You guessed it . . . right before Thanksgiving. It's not an original design but I have no idea where I saw the pattern. I haven't used the wall hanging in the past couple of years but when I was looking for something seasonally appropriate to hang over our bed a week or so ago, this came to the forefront.

It's not very large, only about 28" square, and I hand quilted it.

Originally, when I finished it, I just wasn't that crazy about it. But I think it's growing on me as time goes on. For some reason, I'm really liking the looks of it now. Go figure.

Christmas Supersedes All!

2009-12-15T16:13:00.012-06:00

Have I not been spending enough time in my quilt studio lately?

Hmmm. Seems my calendar should have been changed two weeks ago.

Wonder why the fall decorations are still up? See the little maple leaves on the string? You may not be able to tell, but the valance over the window is a fabric printed with brightly colored autumn leaves. (Wonder where my snowflake valance is?)

My sewing table stacked with fabric to be filed away and mending piled on chair. I meant to get all that done a week or so ago.

Well, here's a problem. This is my cutting table. I think. It must be under there somewhere.

My latest in progress baby quilt is sandwiched and ready to be quilted. Love the red polka dot backing, no? (Oops, doesn't show up red at all in this picture!)

I know how I want to quilt it. But looks like I'm gonna have to do a little cleaning and straightening (and mending) before my sewing machine is free for quilting.

Apparently, other things have been commanding my time, effort, and attention lately. Ah yes, holiday preparations. That's what I've been concentrating on. Christmas does kinda take up the better part of December, doesn't it?

Happy Holidays, everybody!

Featured Quilt of the Week

2009-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

"Mama's Dresses" is the first baby quilt I made using fabrics that weren't either 30s reproductions, a kiddie print, or pastel colors. And it just might be my favorite one so far.

I tend to like straight, crisp lines and bold, rich colors. For this quilt I used fabrics that were Civil War reproduction prints. As I was piecing the quilt, the thought crossed my mind that a young, expectant mother in the last part of the 1800s could having been making it from the cast-off dresses and shirts of family members.

At the time I was making this quilt, I had just finished re-reading "Gone With the Wind", and during the hours of cutting and piecing, my thoughts grew fanciful speculating about the life of my imaginary mother-to-be and wondering what her days might have been like as she lovingly constructed a quilt much like this one for her baby.

The pattern is a basic 9-Patch. (Can you see the 9-Patches?)

I quilted it heavily with cross-hatching which makes the back (although plain and simple) very attractive.

I don't think it's strange that I wove such a story in my mind during the happy hours making this baby quilt. As quilters we are bound to women who have long used their talents to provide warmth and nurturing for their families through the creation of quilts. Often quilting was the sole artistic outlet and social diversion for the strong, hard-working women who came before us. These women did all the work with their hands, using a scissors, needle and thread. We may have the advantage of a rotary cutter and sewing machine, but the art of quilting is the common thread that binds us.

More Christmas Decorations

2009-12-13T07:15:00.007-06:00

A few years ago, I pulled some reds and greens (and a little Santa print) out of my stash and put together this wall hanging.

As you can see, I've got this long, narrow space on the living room side of the half wall that divides our kitchen and living room area. I decorate the house for the different seasons and holidays, and this space seems bare to me if it doesn't have a little decoration of some sort on it.

The whole piece measures 9" x 32" and each of the five squares is 5" x 5".

I didn't have a plan when I started . . . it just sort of grew as I went along.

Even though there's quite a bit of hand quilting on it, it didn't seem like a big job, probably because most of the quilting is on the five small squares.

Nothing big or fancy, but I've always really liked this piece and smile when I pull it out each holiday season.

A Lot of Hand Applique Work

2009-12-11T15:46:00.010-06:00

When my husband was teaching, this was the Christmas wall hanging he had in his third grade classroom at this time of year.

It's about 32" x 46" and was a "Block of the Month" program I signed up for. If I remember correctly, I signed up in March of one year thinking I would have the hanging ready for that same year's holiday season. Boy, those months flew by. Boy, I fell behind quickly.

But, doggone it, I was going to have it done by December so come the month of November, I did an awful lot of applique work. I did get it finished by the first week in December.

The only thing I regret was something I didn't notice until it was up on the classroom wall for the first time. I sure do wish I had put some kind of an outer border around it. The pattern didn't call for one but every time I look at this piece, I wish I had added one. If I hadn't been in such a rush (caused by my own procrastination in the year's previous months), I think I would have had time to really look at it after I had all the blocks sewn together and before I sandwiched and bound it. Oh, well. As they say, hindsight is always 20-20.

Monday's Featured Quilt of the Week - On Wednesday

2009-12-09T09:28:00.003-06:00

Oh, my. My apologies for being a couple of days late in posting Monday's Quilt of the Week! Along about last Thursday the thought crossed my mind that it wouldn't be a bad idea to start working on my next post for Monday's Featured Quilt of the Week. It crossed my mind, and apparently kept right on going as I never thought of it again until yesterday morning when my daughter gently reminded me that we were a day late in getting the post up. Well, I can only offer the excuse of it being a busy time of year . . . and I will say right here and how that I may be using the same excuse for all over-looked things in my life from now until maybe January 2nd. Or 3rd? Couple that with my website administrator's (i.e. daughter's) frustrating lack of Internet service yesterday, and, well, you get the picture.

But now down to business. This week we're featuring "Pastel Pinwheels."

This is such a sweet, sweet quilt. The size is 32-3/4" x 44-1/4" and the thinner polyester batting makes it a light weight quilt.

Each time I look at it, I think of it as being perfect for a newborn. The color scheme is appropriate for either a little boy or girl.

It's made with what is sometimes referred to as "cheater's cloth." The top is a whole piece of fabric which has the pinwheel design printed on it.

But because I did a large amount of quilting on it, which makes every "blade" of each pinwheel stand out, it is hard to tell that it's not pieced in the traditional manner.

This is a quilt that would be treasured for years to come. Not too heavy for a little one to become attached to and carry around. As with all my quilts, it's very washable and will only get softer with age.

If you're needing a special gift for a little one this Christmas, this would be a lasting (and much appreciated) present to give.

I hope your holiday preparations are going smoothly . . . and that you're better able to keep track of everything than I am!

"Yo-Yo" Wreaths

2009-12-07T18:39:00.004-06:00

While going through the box of Christmas tree decorations yesterday, I came across these "quilted" wreath ornaments.

I made them sometime in the 90s when it seems they were very popular among quilters around here.

They're made up of 15-16 yo-yos which you make in the regular way but just before pulling the yo-yo shut with the gathering thread around the edge, you put a cotton ball inside to make it poofy. Then the yo-yos (I've long forgotten what size circle to start with) are threaded together and joined to form a wreath shape, about 3-1/2"-4" across. Add a metallic string or ribbon for a hanger and hang it on the tree or on a knob for decoration around the house.

Now they look a little kitschy to me and I haven't used mine in years, but lordy, lordy, I made and gave away a bunch of them! I wonder how many other little quilted gifts I've inflicted on people that no longer look as cute as I once thought they did?

On My Design Wall

2009-12-05T18:47:00.003-06:00

Blast and dang. As the days of December march on, I feel the possibility of time in my quilt studio slipping away from me.

I woke up too early yesterday morning (low capacity bladder) and couldn't fall back to sleep so got up and got a couple of unexpected hours of quilting in . . . which was nice.

Then this morning, the night owl who sleeps next to me needed a couple of extra hours of sleep after I got up (I had conked out before 9 PM last night) and I didn't want to make any noise to wake him so I headed for the quilt studio at the other end of the house for more early morning work.

I decided to reward myself for getting the checkbook balanced and up-to-date (a job I hate because numbers do weird things in my presence) so I got a couple more hours in this afternoon on my latest baby quilt.

This is basically a scrappy 9-patch, I suppose. I think it will end up three blocks across and four down. Don't know yet whether I'll put any kind of an outer border on it or just finish off with the binding. It's looking like it's gonna be fairly good sized just as is.

As I say, other holiday type things are calling to me daily so who knows when this will progress any farther. My metabolism doesn't allow me too many early, early mornings in which to quilt because then by 6:00 at night I'm totally worthless. Gotta get those long nights of beauty sleep, ya know.

Jumping on the Apron Bandwagon

2009-12-03T16:26:00.005-06:00

There are so many cute apron patterns that are popular these days. One that I've been wanting to make for a while is the "Lilly Apron" by Busy Bee Quilt Designs (www.busybeequiltdesigns.com). And if anybody should get into the habit of wearing an apron when in the kitchen, it's me. You wouldn't believe how many articles of good clothing I've ruined with cooking stains.

Right before Thanksgiving I finally took the time to make this one up.

Easy to make and comfortable to wear. (Does this apron make my butt look big?)

When my daughter saw me wearing it on Thanksgiving Day, the first thing she said was, "Oh, please make me one like that for Christmas!"

Actually, truth be told, that was the second thing she said. The first was, "You really look pregnant in that." I didn't care, didn't bother me a bit. As I say, it's a comfy apron and I wore it all day!

I'm even thinking of making a couple more and wearing them regularly to save my wardrobe from bad things that happen in the kitchen. Sounds like a good plan.

Miniature Quilt Ornaments Done

2009-12-02T21:07:00.007-06:00

Each of these little miniature quilts measures 2-1/2" to 3" square and they were really fun to do.

The hardest part was the binding. I made my binding strips only 1-1/4" wide.

You know how when you're sewing the binding on a quilt, you get going along really well on a straight side and then you come to a corner and it slows you down?

Well, on these little thingamabobs, it seems like I could take only about five stitches and I was to another corner.

But then again, I guess that made the binding go quickly. Just not much to 'em.

Now I'm starting to wonder just what gifts I should apportion them out to. (I plan on tying them on the top of packages and then the recipients can use them as tree ornaments if they wish.) Maybe I need to make more of them. (Somebody stop me, please!) Nope. I think this is gonna have to be my quota for this year. I'm crossing this little project off my list and moving on to other Christmas things.

No Brain Cells Left

2009-12-01T13:21:00.004-06:00

Boy, whadda mind! I totally forgot I still had to quilt my new holiday shower curtain before being able to hang it. (I seem to remember saying I wanted to get it up right after Thanksgiving, didn't I?)

Yesterday I put it up on my design wall to roughly fit the muslin backing for size.

Oooops. Guess who doesn't have enough muslin left on her bolt? Dang. And did I purchase another bolt to have on hand as a back-up? Nope.

Well, no problem. There's a plastic liner on the shower side of the curtain so it's not like the backing is ever going to even be seen. So who cares what the backing looks like? I scrounged up extra pieces of beige colored fabric and made this ugly backing.

(I know you come here for the really pretty pictures you can ooh and ahh over.)

Now I'll stitch the two big pieces together, right sides facing, like a pillowcase, leaving just enough of a space open to turn it. Then I'll press it well and pin it all together with quilting pins. (No batting in this one.) Then I can quilt it . . . which is gonna take some time. Oh, well. I don't have anything else to do this time of year. (Cough, choke, sputter, gasp . . . )

Featured Quilt of the Week

2009-11-30T06:44:00.000-06:00

Good Morning and Happy Monday! Each Monday I'm going to be featuring one of the baby quilts I have for sale on my website. You might also want to check the website for the new December "seasonal blurb" in the right hand column of the Home Page. I know we still have one more day of November left but with the Thanksgiving Weekend finally over, it SEEMS like it should be December today!

Okay, on to the Featured Quilt of the Week:

DREAM IN COLOR

When I first started working on this quilt, it was to be for the expected first child of a dear friend. They didn't know the sex of the baby so I decided I'd just make it bright and colorful which would be suitable for either a little boy or girl.

Then as the quilt top grew on my design wall, I realized I had to make it longer than I had planned in order for the pattern to look good. But that was fine, it would just be a little larger than I had originally intended. About the time I was finishing the top, the little babe was born . . . a beautiful girl.

Hmmm. Okay, these colors would be fine for a toddler, boy OR girl, but for a newborn, little girl baby? Darn. Now I found myself wishing for something a little softer and more feminine in color.

But all was well because I was very happy with the way the quilt top looked and knew I still wanted to finish it. So I kept working on it.

Since the measurements of the top now indicated that it would be big enough for a toddler, I decided to use batting that would be poofy and more like a comforter. Just the perfect quilt to snuggle under on the couch for an afternoon nap. I doubled high-loft polyester batting . . . and then wondered (uh-oh) if I would have trouble quilting it because of the volume. But (whew!) it quilted like a dream and turned out really well.

Finished size of this baby quilt is 38-1/2" x 55-1/4" and will be a complete cover in a crib and yet ample on a toddler's bed. All my quilts are completely washable and dry-able lending them to years of loving use.

Little baby girl mentioned above? Of course, she got her quilt, too. A modified Irish Chain done in pastel 30s reproduction fabrics. I think she liked it.

The Little Things In Life

2009-11-27T10:31:00.008-06:00

Good thing I'm not a shopper because I'm not sure I would have the energy or stamina to gird my loins and join the masses searching out the best buys today.

I was so tired when I got into bed last night that it didn't even feel good to finally stretch out and relax. Ever feel that way? It wasn't that Thanksgiving Day wasn't a pleasant one with family and friends, it's just that there seems to be so much advance preparation involved for days (and days and days) beforehand. (Heck, I even dusted baseboards!)

There were just six of us here yesterday. Well, six people and four dogs. Fortunately, none of the dogs are used to being fed from the table (ba-a-a-a-d habit to start) so they were well-behaved. (There were periods when one could hardly navigate across the room because of sprawled dog bodies on the floor, however.) Anyway, there was an hour or so before the turkey came out of the oven that we were all sitting chatting. The guys got onto the topic of hunting (deer season ended here last weekend) and didn't even seem to notice the presence of females in the room, so we started our own good conversation.

But the thing that I liked best was the fact that all three of us women are handworkers. Very Pregnant Lady (so pregnant we didn't know if we might be taking her dinner up to her in the hospital) was well into crocheting a beautiful afghan. Chicken Mama (our daughter) was putting the finishing touches on little hats she's crocheting for a friend's children's Christmas picture. I was doing the quilting on little, tiny "quilts" I'll tie on Christmas packages and then that could be used for tree ornaments.

When I got the idea to do these a month or so ago . . . who knows, it could have been three months ago the way time goes by so fast . . . I made the one up to see if it was going to work. Pleased with the results, I cut and pieced these few more.

Each one measures 2-1/2" to 3" square.

I'm doing just a minimal amount of quilting on each one.

I have one more to quilt after the one I'm working on. Then binding on all of them, adding the cord hanging loop, and I'll be done.

In the past I've knitted miniature stockings, caps, and bells to use in the same way and I've gotta say these are going MUCH faster. Or maybe it just seems that way because I love quilting so much?

P.S. Over on my personal blog I posted about a hand knit shawl I just received as a gift. It's pretty unique as the knitted pattern resembles quilt blocks. You might want to take a peek at it.

Mama Pea Quilts Website Is Finally Here!

2009-11-23T16:17:00.007-06:00

One of the reasons I started this quilting blog was to connect with other online quilters to get a broader view of what was happening out there in the quilting world, and another was as an adjunct to the website I hoped to get up and running in order to sell my one-of-a-kind handmade baby quilts on the Internet.

Well, it took a long time, but with my computer savvy/website designer daughter coaxing, educating, pushing and pulling me the whole way, the Mama Pea Quilts website is officially up and running!

I am super-excited, a little shakey, and very happy. If a person is able to make a little money doing what they love to do, what can be better? To spend time each day in my quilt studio creating a quilt that will keep a little one warm or become a well-loved "security blankie" . . . that brings me a lot of enjoyment.

I've said before that quilting energizes me. Seeing the quilt take form from a concept of vague shapes, colors, pieces of fabric to a finished product that you can be proud to have for your own little baby or to give as a gift . . . I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing. (Well, perhaps purchasing more fabric comes in a close second.)

Where will this little, fledgling Internet business take me? I don't know. But I'm anxious for the ride, and because of the pure pleasure I get from making baby quilts and the satisfaction of making them available to you, the struggle that it's taken to get this far will be worth it.

I hope you can find time to visit Mama Pea Quilts. Please feel free to leave a comment with any question or suggestion you may have by clicking here. If you'd like to be on our mailing list for notification of specials, new quilts, give-a-ways, etc. from
Mama Pea Quilts, just leave your name and e-mail address on our Mailing List page.

I look forward to getting to know all of you better through our Mama Pea Quilts website. Your visits there are always welcomed!

Sunshine and Lilacs

2009-11-21T15:44:00.006-06:00

Ooof! Talk about a busy day! Because our temperatures are hanging in there on the mild side (unbelievable for this time of year where we live), I've admittedly been pushing it trying to get windows washed inside and out. I didn't think it was going to happen this year but Mother Nature is almost taunting me NOT to get them done with this gift of unseasonably warmish days.

So rather than being in my quilt studio (where I full well expected to be by now), I spent the better part of the day on a ladder stretching my garters (as my grandpa used to say) to reach all those dirty little upper corners on the outside of windows.

I finished the last windows I planned on doing today about 2:30 and came in just in time to finish the binding on this latest baby quilt and get pictures outside (best light for showing true colors) before the light waned for the day. (Anybody else still having trouble getting used to it getting dark so early?)

Sunshine and Lilacs. At least I think that's what I'm naming this quilt. The layout and piecing have produced a design that has a little more of a "modern" slant to it than I usually come up with.

The colors say "spring" to me, but that's fine because a baby to be born next spring is well on its way already. Anybody need a lovely baby quilt as a gift for a wee one being born this coming spring?

This quilt measures 39-1/2" x 51" so it would be ample in a crib.

I quilted it in an all-over meandering design.

The backing reminds me of a field of wild flowers.

The quilt will be eventually listed and offered on my website. How's the website coming, you ask? Well, as sometimes happens, you think you're very close to finishing a project when a small glitch turns up or life throws in a curve that requires that you put your attention elsewhere. But it's still foremost in our minds and WILL be happening. Since the unveiling didn't come about this week, I'm now wondering if it might be better to wait until after Thanksgiving. We'll see. And whenever it happens, I'm sure will be for the best.

Wanted: Quilt Needs Quilter

2009-11-17T10:43:00.006-06:00

This yellow and purple baby quilt is all ready to be quilted. All that is needed is someone to sit at the machine and go for it.

I got this far this past weekend, thought I might get in a few hours yesterday, but didn't. Maybe today?

Yesterday's hours flew (I mean FLEW) by. I spent a bit of time working with my web designer daughter putting the finishing touches (you know, those last minute 526 little tweaks) on my website that we hope to go live with this week. The site will offer my one-of-a-kind handmade baby quilts for sale. It's something I've wanted to do for a looonng time, and with the help of my daughter, it's very, very close to becoming a reality. (Feel jittery excitement here.)

Stay tuned for the announcement of details soon.

"Swedish" Baby Quilt

2009-11-15T13:02:00.009-06:00

I haven't decided on a name for this little baby quilt yet so I've been thinking of it as my "Swedish" baby quilt. (Blue and yellow? Sweden's colors?)

This was the one I was waiting to quilt after I got my machine fixed. I quilted it using the machine blanket stitch (in the ditch) and it worked out well.

It's hard to see the blanket stitching on these pictures, especially on some of the printed fabrics.

A very square, grid effect shows up on the backing which is pale yellow with a light, white dot on it.

This quilt is 40" x 44" and would be a super gift for a little baby boy, dontcha think?

Tools of the Trade

2009-11-13T13:47:00.010-06:00

I finally had the opportunity to make the trek to the big city yesterday to take my ailing sewing machine in for repairs. I dropped it off first thing in the morning (left extra early -- 6:30 AM -- so they would have maximum time to look at it) and when I called late in the afternoon to see if it might be done, I was thrilled.

It was! (I was sooo happy. Yes, I do have two good machines, but rely on both of them for different applications. Besides that, my sewing table looked absolutely nekked with the one machine not set up!)

Turns out my sick machine needed only a minor adjustment (I had convinced myself the whole computer was kaputz). The business where I have purchased both my machines offers periodic check-up, cleaning, oiling, etc. of all machines purchased there free of charge for the lifetime of the machine. Now when cleaning a sewing machine usually starts around $50, I think that's a darned good deal. Yesterday, my machine was given a complete going over and readjustment and I wasn't charged a thing. Wanna know where I'll buy my next upgrade when the time comes?

Anyway, this morning was spent playing catch-up from being gone all day yesterday so I haven't had time to even unpack my machine let alone do any quilting.

In lieu of anything new to show today, I thought I'd do this post on three of my favorite quilting tools: Seam Rippers, Applique Scissors and Marking Pencils.

I can't quilt without an iron and/or seam ripper. You would think a seam ripper was a seam ripper was a seam ripper, right?

As you can see by the above picture, I've used several seam rippers. 'Bout a year ago, I bought the red and white one shown at the top and now will not use any other. It's a Fons and Porter product and is advertised as being ergonomically designed. Come on. What's the big deal? It's a seam ripper!

Proven wrong again, I was. I find it extremely comfortable to hold, to direct, to use. It just feels good holding it in my hand. I like it.

You all know when you're quilting a quilt, you end up with a kajillion threads front and back that need to be snipped off.

These applique scissors are designed so that they cut flat against the fabric, leaving no little sticky-uppy pieces of thread. I don't machine quilt without having them on the table next to my machine.

Oh, boy, have I ever purchased (and discarded) a lot of marking pens/pencils. Now I use these two almost exclusively. And if I ever took the time to order some graphite leads for the red and white Fons and Porter marking pencil, I would only need that one.

I got the red and white "eversharp" pencil as a Christmas gift with the tube of extra white leads. The marks disappear readily under my stitched quilting lines or with a brief rubbing of my fingers over the fabric.

The black graphite pencil (also a gift -- thanks, J!) is much like the Fons and Porter one in that they both give the sharpest, cleanest marking lines I've found with any marking tool. The mark is always thin, the lead never gets thick and/or dull, and I don't waste time trying to sharpen the lead over and over again as with wooden marking pencils.

Ahhhhh, back in place again. Couple of things I have yet to do today before I can go hide in my quilt studio . . . just where I'd like to be this Friday night!

It's Just Not Workin'

2009-11-10T14:02:00.006-06:00

When I first started writing this blog, I told you I'd share my failures with you along with my successes. So here goes.

I started making these Sawtooth Stars with this cute widdle ducky print fabric to use as the foundation for a baby quilt.

I've had the fabric for some time waiting for inspiration. I haven't made a star motif in a baby quilt for quite a while so thought I would fussy cut the fabric as the center block for 6" stars.

Red and yellow would/should be perfect with the focus fabric, right?

But it's just not doin' it for me. Not sure why. While I've been constructing the star blocks, I've been trying to come up with a brilliant idea of how to put them together. So far, I've thought up . . . and discarded . . . a few lay-outs. Nuthin' is giving me the shot of adrenaline to charge ahead with sewing machine pedal to the metal.

So I think what this means is I need to scoot the seven blocks I have made over to a corner of my design wall and work on something else for the time being. Nope, I'm not going to call these little blocks a failure . . . they just need time to sit and mellow before they tell me how to proceed.

Coolin' My Heels

2009-11-09T08:10:00.004-06:00

Because as soon as I finish one little task I'm usually on to the next without even thinking, I hardly ever find myself having to "kill time." But you've found me in a rare situation with a few minutes to spare, and I don't want to get involved with anything new because I'm waiting for the arrival of my daughter.

We have a date this morning to take pictures of the last three baby quilts I want to get up on my website before we "go public."

I want to sell my baby quilts online and since dear daughter is a website designer . . . she's been coerced into doing that aspect of the job for me. Seems like we've been working on this little (LITTLE? Ha! Chortle. Snort. Pa-shaw!) project FOREVER. On the other hand, we're both perfectionists and want everything to be juuust right before the grand unveiling.

The above is a picture of one of the three quilts we'll be photographing today. It's nice sized, 41-1/2" x 53-1/2", and I hope it finds a happy home with brand new bundle of joy soon.

Finished!

2009-11-07T18:45:00.005-06:00

This is the quilt for my daughter to have at her house for visiting little ones to use. A simple 9-Patch that went together quickly and was fun to do. I had enough different fabrics that it was easy to build the 9-patches without feeling I was repeating combinations too frequently. The backing is a sweet blue flower . . . same as one of the fabrics on the front.

I took this angled shot hoping the quilting would show up a bit. If you wish, click to enlarge it and you may be able to see it more.

I had a little trouble deciding on what to use for the binding. I liked how the blue flower I used for the backing looked on the front, but then the back of the quilt was kinda plain. (Or you could say, really plain!) The yellow fabric with the blue flower used on the front looked really good with the blue backing but didn't do much for the front. (Oh, the trials and tribulations!) I finally settled on the orange stripe and am truly-duly happy with it. Stripes or polka dots are almost always a winner for bindings. At least in my book.

Can't beat the good, ol' 9-Patch block, can you? I sure do love those old traditional block patterns.

Too Many Things . . .

2009-11-03T20:40:00.006-06:00

Too many things keeping me out of my quilting studio. I'm getting very cranky. Somebody better change somethin' around here or things are apt to get nasty.

It's only the beginning of November, and it'll be okay if I don't have my new holiday shower curtain quilted and ready to be hung until December 1st. But, ooooh, my fingers are itchy to get that one done.

I'm waiting to get the baby quilt for my daughter backed and sandwiched. It won't take long to quilt it, and I'm anxious to see how it looks . . . 'tis so true that quilting makes the quilt.

'Bout all I can do right now is keep plugging away at other things that have to take priority before I can get at the sewing machine . . . and look at and dream of projects planned.

I've never made a two-color quilt and have a real fondness for the traditional Flying Geese pattern, so when my favorite quilt shop had a going-out-of-business sale a month or so ago, I got the fabric for this pattern I've had filed away for "someday."

The beige/ecru is the background, the solid red for the Flying Geese and, woo-ee, I couldn't pass up this great polka dot for the backing. It's 75" x 91" so I'll probably make a couple of blocks here and there while working on other projects in between. (Like Christmas things!)

Sunday Design Wall

2009-11-01T19:49:00.002-06:00

Stayed up quilting maybe a little later than I should have last night (with the company of a glass of a good wine) but that enabled me to get the top completed today. (This is the baby quilt my daughter asked me to make.) Now at 4 PM, I'm being assaulted with one jaw-cracking yawn after another.

The solid gold fabric looks more orange-y in the photo than it really is. Had to take the picture on the design wall rather than out in our greenhouse where I seem to be able to get truer color representation. (Couldn't talk the dog into holding up the quilt top out there . . . and my main holder-upper [husband] was involved elsewhere.)

I had originally picked out a gorgeous blue for the center square of each 9-patch and the outer border setting triangles, but my daughter thought it would make the quilt look too specifically little boy-ish, so we switched to the gold keeping it more neutral in color.

But I keep thinking about that blue . . . so pretty . . . and I have quite a few squares left over that I cut for the 9-patches. I may have to make another one in a little different layout and use that blue fabric.

Okay, I'm going to try to get it backed and sandwiched tomorrow and then on with the quilting.

Boo!

2009-10-31T11:00:00.006-05:00

When my husband was teaching school, Halloween, as you can imagine, was an exciting time in his third grade classroom.

This is a good-sized (39" x 50") wall hanging I made for that blank wall space he had between two windows. I found a great Halloween fabric panel that I cut apart, added a bit of piecing using fabrics I had in my stash and ended up with this. I also did a lot more quilting on it than I should have since very little of it shows up on the wild colors and busyness of the piece!

Wish I had a large enough wall space here at home on which to hang it now that he's retired from school, but I don't.

He also used this one in his classroom. The center is a panel, and I just added the borders and some quilting. It's 15" x 20".

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!

On My Design Wall

2009-10-30T15:16:00.002-05:00

Don'tcha just love starting new projects? Woke up early this morning and squeaked in a couple hours on this.

Nine-patches on point which will have a solid white/off-white block in between. (Haven't cut those yet.)

My daughter recently purchased a Pack 'N Play to keep at her house for little visitors who need a comfy, safe place to take a snooze, and she asked if I would make a baby quilt for her to have in readiness for nap time. She picked out some 30s fabrics from my stash and I added a few more.

Seems as though it will go together fast, and I'm pleased with the way it looks so far. I even have the quilting motif in mind for it already . . . which is very unusual for me.

Now let's see . . . do you think my husband would believe me if I say I accidentally locked myself in my quilt studio and can't get out to make dinner tonight? Hey, it's worth a try.

New Holiday Shower Curtain

2009-10-29T16:24:00.004-05:00

Ta-dah! The top is finished, now for sandwiching and quilting. I thought this actually went together very quickly and easily . . . considering the short amounts of time squeezed in here and there that I spent working on it.

Don't know how the colors look on your individual monitors (I know that's always a problem), but I wanted to try to get a truer representation of the fabrics by taking this picture outside today. Unfortunately, it's been raining like heck all day, and I couldn't coerce my husband into standing on the deck in the downpour to hold it up. So we settled for second best with this slightly wonky shot taken in more or less natural light in our greenhouse-to-be-currently-junk-storage-area. I think the color is a little better than previously posted shots taken in my quilt studio.

The pattern is called "Winter Pines" and it's from the book Mile-A-Minute Quilts by Sharon Hultgren.

I'm really hoping to have it finished so I can hang it for the holidays this year. I'll leave my fall "Flying Geese" curtain up until Thanksgiving is over but would like to have this one ready right after Turkey Day.

The curtain that this new one will replace is the only seasonal shower curtain I've made by "cheating."

Above is a close-up of the fabric. I didn't quilt it at all . . . it's not pieced or quilted. It's a solid piece of fabric I found . . . red, green, snowflakes, and evergreens (perfect!) . . . and liked when I was, no doubt, in a panic situation as to what I was going to use in the bathroom for the holidays. But I've been happy with it and it's served us well for several years.

I think I'll be all the more pleased though to get this new one finished and up. I'm crossing my fingers that it's done on time!