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Category Archive
I’ve been working on some things this week. Cutting kits for the show, cutting fabrics, trying to come up with a cute baby quilt for the Hoo’s In The Forest line…but I swear, every time I get up or move from my spot, this is what is in front of me.
Guilt. She’s just too cute. I think this is her plan..and it’s working. I think that ball is permanently attached to her mouth!
I did manage to stitch up 2 tea towels for Paige. Retro Kitties.
He thinks he’s a cool cat and she’s teasing him…meow…pfft…as if:)
I hope you like ’em Paige!
I hope everyone had a great holiday. It was pretty relaxed here. Some sewing, some embroidering…..what better way to celebrate Independence Day than stitching up these cute patriotic birdies.
I definitely should have used a muslin backing before stitching this block because you can slightly see my threads traveling behind the fireworks and that kinda bugs me…ugh. I changed the Birdies from holding sparklers to holding flags. Then put smaller sparklers on their breasts instead of the stars and stripes.
Thanks for a great 4th of July block Little Miss Shabby!
Do you ever get something in your mind and can’t stop thinking about it, wanting it? No, this isn’t another food post. I’m not talking about cheesecake or chocolate:)
It all started with this cute bicycle embroidery I drew.
Then, I found out that my neighbor, Mary Lou, from Customphotopics was selling this beautiful greeting card of a yellow bike with flowers, and well, my interest grew a tiny bit more. I bought two of them and placed one in the studio for inspiration. I get to look at this yellow temptation every morning. Be sure and check out her site. The card was even more beautiful when I received it!
An Etsy search turned this up. An 8×8 print called Basket of Tulips by Simplyhue. Seriously, now I’m just torturing myself with all the vintage goodness.
And this one from tresureagain.
Many of you locals will remember this in front of Tammy Tadd’s quilt store.
My Google results turned up these..
A wedding pic found here.
It didn’t stop there. I did a bad thing and did a Craigslist search for our area and found this. All that’s missing is the flowers. I need someone to talk some sense into me.
Help…
Or…I could try to win one & you could too! Riley Blake is having a quilt contest. Get a chance to win a Cruiser by making a quilt with Riley Blake fabrics and enter it in the contest. Details found here..Woo-Hoo!
My Birdie block for May is finally finished! I snagged one of my sewing machines and other necessities from under the paint tarp and set up shop “old school” on my kitchen table. It doesn’t bother me to sew there, except the table’s too high and my back starts to ache from stretching…or maybe it aches from having to use the proper posture to reach the machine.
But any who, it doesn’t matter how it was finished as long as it was. I must say it turned out cute! I don’t even think this pic does it justice. I weeded out some of the smaller flowers and used the Cosmo Seasons variegated floss. A different one for each flower.
Thanks again Little Miss Shabby for another cutesy, fun block!
My sister Wendy, Karen, Jen and I just returned from a wonderful quilt retreat in Hillpoint, WI called Homestead about an hour west of Madison. It was Wendy and Jen’s first time, Karen and I were here back in 2007.
Friday was a beautiful day to hit the road and drive with the windows open. When you arrive you see this quaint restored old cabin which is a gathering space inside to relax and kick your feet up in front of a fireplace but behind it is a large work area which can handle up to 17 quilters. Patsy the owner is a wonderful and personable host making us extremely comfortable we didn’t want to leave!
One of her dogs, aka “Juice”, posed perfectly for this shot of the property.
Shortly after we arrived, Patsy served dinner and we all hung out on the back porch to catch our breath and enjoy a glass of wine. We then jumped right into our projects. I started with creating a fun cover for my date planner using the SewMod embroidery Lorrie did for me in beautiful varigated thread -look how wonderful it goes this awesome batik! I love this batik so much I couldn’t resist making a cover for my cell phone.
I added a pen and business card holders on the inside panel.
I then tackled an April Bag – a pattern created by Elizabeth Hartman.
I was wondering what to do with this cute fabric by Daisies and Dots by Piece O’ Cake that matches our SewMod logo so nicely I decided to make a couple more April Bags….but shhhhh, one if for Lorrie!
Wendy worked on this adorable doggie quilt…not bad for her first appliquéd project! It was a general consensus this block would make a cute lap quilt.
Karen worked on a Yellow Brick Road pattern for her cousin. Doesn’t it remind you of the orange-raspberry sherbet!
Jen cut out several aprons, I loved this one in an orange/white flower from Denyse Schmidt’s Hope Valley line. She also completed a beautiful cotton knitted blanket for her husband.
I love retreats and getting away to quilt with my dear friends and family but also to have the opportunity to meet other quilters and crafters. We were very fortunate to share the space with 10 wonderful quilters/embroiders at the retreat who shared their projects and stories. We ended up signing up for the same weekend next year to share the space with them again…we look forward to seeing you all in a year or sooner! :)
Doesn’t that title make you smile:) It’s a new embroidery book I found one day while shopping at Joann’s with Paige. I can’t tell you how thrilled and excited I get when I stumble upon new embroidery designs. And this one has stitches in it that I’ve never tried before! Yay!!!
It’s Japanese dimensional embroidery.
If you ever come across Japanese craft and embroidery books, don’t hesitate to pick one up. Most are written in Japanese but a seasoned quilter/embroiderer can figure it out. It’s even worth it if you want to just look at the pictures. They do amazing handwork!
Have you tried the Cosmo Floss from Japan? There is none better. The good ole stand by, DMC, doesn’t even compare. If I had a local dealer of these, I’m afraid I’d be broke. It’s like candy. All the colors we’re used to but it doesn’t knot, it slides through the fabric like butter, and lays flat. This floss is about $1.00-$1.20, but well worth it. It’s available at the Stockroom on Etsy.
Cottage Garden Threads from Australia. I bought these from her Etsy shop. I had been stalking this floss for a while now, and figured, why not? I might have a disorder though. I’m not sure if I’ll actually be able to use these. They are just too pretty to cut into and it would have to be a seriously special project! They’re sooo soft. Yes, I’m petting them right now:)
Remember my post on this cuteness? My life Embroidered.
I found its sister on Etsy, and it’s on it’s way to my home! It translates to My True Nature. These french embroidery books are adorable and I can’t wait to make something supercute from this one too.
Let’s not forget the USA on our trip. Crabapple Hill is my favorite embroidery designer. I must have this latest piece. Dresden Poinsettias!
And last, here are my latest embroidery purchases from the quilt store. A quilt pattern from This and That Pattern Company called “simple Things” and a redwork called “Winter Twitterings” by Pearl Louise Krush.
Time to get to work. I need more than 2 hands or 24 hours in a day to get all this hand work done!
We purchased several bolts from Riley Blake last week.
Some Sugar and Spice. We ordered the main piece to this which has all the red and blue daisies on it but it was already gone. We are learning that the process for buying fabric from manufacturers is ….you snooze, you lose!
And some Happier.
These 2 bolts are so cute. The Happier main has a whole scene going on if you look closely. Birds, butterflies, caterpillars. I just knew when this arrived that I had to embroidery something. I immediately thought how nice it would be to ride my bike along this fabric, so I jotted down some ideas and used the tree and critters as inspiration.
I used some scraps cut into different sizes to raw edge applique at the top. It’s a scrappy sky!
Just a little wall decor for my new studio. It’s going to be so nice to surround my sewing room with inspiring things, like this, fabric, or random pics. You never know what might set you in the right direction to make something unique. I even collected some Halloween scrap-booking papers the other day. I know something creative will come from those. Especially since we expect the Riley Blake Trick or Treat line soon.
Vicki is collecting those little cards that are on the front of Moda’s Layer Cakes packaging. I thought that was a cute idea to inspire her and decorate her studio as well. I’m sure, knowing Vicki, that her collection will be quite large:)
So, tell me do you randomly collect anything besides fabric that inspires you?
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