from really big to teeny tiny

I'm still recovering from the huge queen size quilt I made last week. So today I had fun with a little project. I found the idea for this one in a great book, Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. You start with a moleskine cahier pocket notebook. Add fabric pieces in whatever design. Sew it to the cardboard cover with a small zigzag stitch. I added a mini bookmark to mine. I made 5 and they are available in the shop. Well, I made 3 other ones that my kids got because I didn't get the hang of it till the 4th one. One of the perks to having a crafty mom-- you get all the not quite sale able stuff :)

the wedding quilt that wasn't

Here's the first try of a wedding quilt for my niece, Kelsey. She wanted black, white, grey and a bit of some other color. Somehow the quilt that I was thinking would be muted in color turned out dramatic. I still don't know how that happened. Then it was also too small when they moved and got a queen size bed. So now this crazy quilt is in the shop waiting for the person I must have made it for who isn't Kelsey :)

kelsey's wedding ring quilt finished!

I finally tackled my niece's wedding quilt and finished it. I'm so happy !! It was a real challenge to design and create. Large quilts intimidate me anyway, and I wanted this one to be special. Thank you quilter Liz for encouraging me to get on with it. It's great to have a friend and really neat to have one all the way in Australia :)

Here is some of the process behind the quilt. I wanted to make a double wedding quilt which is a traditional pattern. I am not traditional. So I had to bend the pattern to fit me. It had to be the best I could make it but also the most efficient. In other words, I don't have the time or patience to cut hundreds of little pieces and then sew them back together.

 So I converted the pattern to an applique design, sewn and quilted on a central panel.
I added a couple of borders.

 Here is the finished quilt. The pattern is for sale in the shop, the original quilt going to Kelsey, of course. Tomorrow I hope to show you the first wedding quilt I made for her, which turned out not at all as I planned. That one will be for sale in the shop.

time out for babysitting and field trips

Summer is not quite over here, and it's still time for adventures and visiting. This week I've been hosting my two sweet nieces for the week. We've been to the zoo, many playgrounds and parks, and a nature center. My daughter has been begging to go to Meadowside nature center all summer. I kept putting her off, saying wait till your cousins come and we'll go together. I'm glad I made her wait because they had a great time.

The nature center has a cave which is so much fun to explore:

It also has a native american exhibit to play in:

The only thing missing this week is quilting-- I'm counting down the days till back to school and back to serious quilting!

Gotta quit avoiding the wedding quilt

Here I am, making more crazy quilts, avoiding the really challenging project. I have to make my niece a wedding quilt and I'm nervous. Most of my projects are low stress and really, I don't know why this one bothers me so much. Partly because it's big, queen size, and partly because it's a new design. I don't want to cut into expensive fabric and screw it up.  You know, it really helps to share your anxiety. I feel better. Thanks for reading.

 Weird, both my new crazy quilts have a bird print, unintentionally.

Alexander Henry makes a ghastlie crazy quilt

I'm still going crazy with crazy quilts. That means the summer schedule is still a bit overwhelming. But that's okay, there is a season for everything and I'm sure it will get too quiet when school starts.
 I have a secret love, his name is Alexander Henry. Haha. I just love that design company! However I put together his fabric, it turns out good. Here is my latest crazy quilt in the Ghastlie design:

This quilt is reversible! Here is the back, just as ghastlie as the front :)