Creations By SweetMummy

Quilting Down Memory Lane

2023-11-21T14:17:00.002-07:00

"Creations by SweetMummy" has grown and evolved into a whole business which I call "Quilting Down Memory Lane".

Specializing in custom memorial quilts, the 'new' creative endeavor has been going strong for several years now, but I'm just now working to strengthen its online presence.

If you're interested in seeing a larger portfolio of things that I have done, you can check out my website at https://quiltingdownmemorylane.com and visit my Quilting Down Memory Lane Facebook page, too.

Ready-made and made-to-order items, as well as patterns, are also available on my Etsy shop - Quilting Down Memory Lane.

I love capturing the memories of loved ones passed, trips traveled, baby days, and more, in special custom quilts.

Every quilt is a little trip down memory lane. Which memories do you want to visit today?

1st Sampler - In Honor of GG

2011-02-22T06:23:00.007-07:00

Today would have been my GG's 97th birthday. In honor of that, I thought I would post about the quilt I made her over 10 years ago.

GG's Chicken Quilt

This quilt was a blast to put together. It was my first attempt at a WHOLE quilt, and I made it as part of a course. I knew I wanted to make a quilt for my Great-Grandma, since she is the one who introduced me to quilting. And when I found these fabrics I couldn't pass it up! My Great-Grandma (GG) has collected chicken things as long as I can remember. Chicken paintings, trinkets, knick-knacks, salt & pepper shakers, magnets, etc. So the chicken fabric practically jumped off the shelf at me.

GREAT chicken fabric!!

I think the fabric line (set) was called the Tuscan collection.

This is called a Sampler Quilt, lap size (almost as big as a twin blanket). It's a 'sample' of different types of blocks and each one is different. Every block has a name. Each finished block is a 12-inch square. I'll highlight each block.

Top Row, 1st Block from the left: Jacob's Ladder

Top Row, Middle block: Card Trick

Top Row, 3rd Block: 54-40 or Fight

2nd Row, 1st Block: Pinwheel

2nd Row, 2nd Block: Hen & Chick

hand applique & embroidery

2nd Row, 3rd Block: Wheels

3rd Row, 1st Block: Tulip Wreath Variation

hand applique

3rd Row, 2nd Block: Monkey Wrench

3rd Row, 3rd Block: Dresden Plate

hand applique

4th Row, 1st Block: Random 4-Patch

(it might have a real name, but I can't find it and don't remember it now...)

4th Row, 2nd Block: Windmill

4th Row, 3rd Block: Mexican Star

The BACK of the quilt, with label on bottom right corner

I mentioned the hand applique blocks because they require extremely detailed work and I wanted to give them special notice.

My favorite block is the Hen & Chick. I had given them names when I was working on them, but can't remember them now. This block became the focal point for the whole quilt - I built around that block. Not sure how much detail you can see - but their feet and beaks were embroidered with a regular sewing machine, and they are hand-quilted all the way around so they sorta puff up out of the block. LOVE it!

In order to set off the blocks from each other, I used sashes with 4-patch setting blocks. The 4-patch blocks were just cute and added more color, but not as 'busy' as when I tried a single fabric. I learned so much doing this quilt about 11 years ago. It's still one of my all-time favorites!

My GG was thrilled when I gave it to her. She loved it so much that she had it hanging on a quilt rack beside her bed. She said she didn't want to use it so it didn't get wrecked, but she LOVED to look at it!

The quilt was sent back to me after GG passed away in August last year. Today, I will finally open the box and look at it again. I'm sad that I have it back again because it means GG is gone from this Earth. But the quilt is a treasure, and I am glad that I got it back.

In honor of GG, I hope that you enjoy looking at this quilt. I will enjoy seeing it again, even if it's through a few tears.

Purple Pizzaz

2011-02-20T17:41:00.001-07:00

A few summers ago I made a quilt for my sister. Actually, the project began nearly 2 BEFORE that, and a good friend of mine helped.

We were taking a quilting class together, just for fun. It was a once a month class and every month we learned a new technique and pieced 1 block. The fabric and the patterns were provided for us (i.e., we didn't get to pick our own fabric). I got the set called "Coral" and hers was "Purple". My friend didn't like her fabric option at all, the longer she worked with it, and she was just going to give the blocks to the local quilter's group. I asked her if I could have them (she only had 10 of the 12 blocks as she hadn't finished the last 2), and she said I could! I was so excited because I knew just who I was going to give it to. My sister LOVES purple! So I had to finish the squares and complete the quilt top with the sashing, then sandwich and quilt the whole thing.

The Completed Quilt - "Purple Pizzaz"

This is a sampler quilt, which means that each square is different.

Top row: Stripped Pinwheels, Folded Flowers, Paper Pieced Flowers

2nd row: Flower Basket, Dove in the Middle, Celtic Square

3rd row: Mock Trapunto, Stack-n-Whack, 2" Square Watercolor

Bottom row: Mock Chenille, Log Cabin, Applique Flowers

What is difficult to see is how gorgeous the color is - it's like ROYAL purple! The quilt fabrics have purples, some pinks, greens, some blues, and some gold. The sashing fabric I found has a silver fleck in it, so it is shiny like the gold in the blocks.

This block is one of the prettiest because all of the edges are stitched with gold thread, and it's a Celtic design that is all interconnected. Pretty fun, too!

This block is also highlighted with the gold thread in the quilting. The flower-ish looking design in the block is actually puffy. It's called 'mock trapunto' because trapunto is a technique where you stuff batting or poly-fill into the back of a project to make it really puffy, and this one is done slightly differently, so it's not quite as puffy.

This is the center of the quilt, and I call this block "Dove in the Middle". It's actually a Drunkard's Path pattern. On my "coral" quilt, the way it's put together looks more like Bowties and Butterflies. This one really is cool, and looks just like a dove from a distance.

One of the last blocks I made, this one has Folded Flowers - kind of fabric origami. The flowers are 3-Dimensional and open up.

This is the back of the quilt with the label. I did special stitching around each edge of the label with gold thread. (No close up of it, though, 'cuz it has our names on it...)

It was a fun project, and it's not too big. Kind of a lap-sized quilt. She really liked it. It was just the right size for her, she said, to snuggle under while watching TV or something, or to put over the top of her other blankets on her bed for a little extra warmth.

I'll post pics of my 'coral' quilt next!

Winter Wreath tutorial

2011-01-08T19:58:00.002-07:00

I took down my evergreen Christmas wreath when we put away all of our Christmas decorations, and my door looked very lonely. I wasn't feeling ready to put up my Valentine's welcome hearts yet, so I wanted to make a new wreath, more winter, less Christmas.

This is what I came up with.

Not quite what I had planned originally, but it's pretty anyway. I had planned for 2 doves, and a big ribbon bow, with more little bally things (white ones with the red and gold). I think the wreath was too small for my plans because once I got the dove and flowers on I was thinking that was ENOUGH.

That's OK. I think this works, and I have supplies enough to make a couple more.

Here's a quick tutorial on how I did it.

Supplies I purchased for this wreath:

Straw wreath base (12 in. diameter)
red and white artificial poinsettias
white wired ribbon (I think this is 2 inches wide)
decorative balls on wires (white, red and gold)

I also had other items and tools already on hand that I pulled out for this project:

decorative doves
florists wire
bow maker
small needle-nose pliers
small wire cutters
hot glue gun and hot glue

First I took apart the decorative balls - starting with this:

ending with these:

I also did this to the white ring of balls, but I didn't use them at all in the wreath after all.

Then I used the ribbon to wrap decoratively around the wreath base. The ends were secured on the back of the wreath with hot glue.

I decided to put a dove at the top of the wreath, slightly off-set. The bird had wire feet which I stuck into the straw and then hot-glued it's body in place to be sure it wouldn't move.

Next I used my wire cutters to clip the wires on the large flowers to about 2 inches long.

My intention with this wreath was for it to be more white than red. So I decided to center one white flower at the bottom of the wreath and build out from there, ending up with alternating white, red, white, red, white flowers.

The flowers were added to the wreath by sticking the wires into the straw. Using the wires means that you can still position the flowers a bit but also provides a deep anchor into the straw so the flowers won't come out. I push the flowers as far into the straw as I can. Once I have them positioned where I want them, I put do hot-glue right under the base of each of the flowers to keep them in place on the straw.

If the wires are cut too long they will poke out the backside of the wreath - they can either be clipped off, trimmed flush with the back, or if they are really long they can be bent over, providing more anchor for the flower.

When I got the ribbon, dove, and 5 poinsettias on this wreath, it really looked like I wasn't going to able to add much more. I wanted to keep from getting gaudy with it. In my book, simple is usually better.

I did decide to add some of the decorative balls, on the side opposite the dove. Because they are on wires, they can be positioned just the way you want them. In this case, I just curved the wires a bit to an arc similar to the wreath's curve. I stuck the wires into the straw and got them positioned where I wanted them, then hot-glued them in place.

Once the decorative balls were added, it seemed to my eye like the wreath was done. Now all I needed was a hanger. Using one of the clipped wires from the poinsettias and bent it into a u-shape, then bent the ends up with my needle-nose pliers to create hooks to embed / hook into the straw.

Placement of the hanger is often tricky, especially with asymmetry like I have on this wreath. Using this kind of hook method gives me the ability to reposition the hanger until I get it to the right place. In this case I opted for the hanger to be placed over the top edge of the wreath. Often I will chose to have the hanger completely hidden behind the wreath. My decision this time was made in part because of the position of the ribbon on the back of the wreath. I would have had to change the hanger, or unglue the end of the ribbon, or hook the hanger through the ribbon if I had wanted to have the hanger completely hidden behind the wreath.

Once the hook was placed where I wanted it, I was able to hook through enough straw that it could have held on its own, but I decided to add some hot-glue just to be extra sure.

Then my wreath was finished and I hung it up on my door on the large magnetic hook I have for wreaths and things. (If I was using a traditional over-the-door hanger I would not have needed a hanger on the wreath itself.)

I didn't end up using the bow maker, small white flowers, white decorative balls or the florists wire, though sometimes I need the wire to add extra length to the picks or wired flowers I'm using.

You can use the same basics to make other kinds of wreaths. This is the first kind of this type that I've made with flowers like this. I have used evergreen boughs with other decorative picks. I could have opted to do a big ribbon bow on the very top of the wreath with the ribbon ends hanging down into the center of the wreath instead of doing the off-center dove. I could have used the smaller white flowers I bought in place of the outside 2 white flowers and left more room for more decorative balls in among the flowers, as well as up the sides of the wreath.

This is an example of another wreath I've made with doves - using flower garland from our wedding decorations.

We've made lots of Christmas wreaths like this to give as gifts, using plaid ribbon, velvet ribbon, all kinds of different variations, all with the straw wreath base. Larger wreaths are easier to add more detail to. The options are limited only by your imagination.

I like the straw base for wreaths because I can position and reposition things fairly easily by sticking them into the straw with wires, and the wires are completely hidden within the straw base. Grapevine wreathes may be as easy to position things in, but wires won't be as easily hidden. Evergreen wreaths usually have a wire frame behind them, so you can easily attach wires to that. It's not as easy to hot glue things to evergreen wreaths though. The straw base is very easy to glue things to.

I found lots of supplies for wreath-making when I was pulling out my stuff today, plus the leftovers I have from what I bought. I will be making a few of these wreaths to put in my online shop I think, as well as to sell at a local show I'm doing with a friend next year. I love making these wreaths. I'm very pleased with this Winter Wreath, too!

You Can Only Repair So Much

2011-01-08T17:27:00.002-07:00

Well, I successfully fixed my slipper this week, only to have it come apart again today.

The stitch work I did held nicely, but the leather seems to be completely worn out. It tore right down by the place it attaches to the sole. I can't stitch there - there just isn't enough to hold it together and the leather is weak all long there anyway.

I guess you can only repair so much. Looks like I need new slippers!

Just Call Me a Cobbler!

2011-01-05T19:38:00.001-07:00

Today, I added a new job the list of things I have done! Just call me a cobbler!

(Not like a cobbler that you eat... a cobbler that makes shoes!)

See, my NukNuuk slipper fell apart:

I just LOVE these slippers and wear them every day, most of the time. In Canada, as a general rule, we take off our outdoor shoes when we come inside, but my feet get cold so I always pull my slippers on. Plus, these have a nice sole on them, like a real shoe almost, which I really like. I have walked hundreds of miles around my house in these slippers! And now, it seems that I have just about worn them out.

They aren't completely worn out, though, even if this one is 'broken'. The side of the slipper had just come unsewn from the base. So I decided to try to sew it back together.

TADA!

I had to sew it by hand with an upholstery needle, and thankfully most of the time I could use existing holes in the leather. There was the odd time when I had to make new holes, and the hardest part was going through the NukNuuk label. I couldn't figure out if I could take the label out without loosening the threads that were holding the bottom of the side piece together, so I left the label in and had to work HARD to get the needle through all the layers in that area.

My Sweetie bought me these slippers for our anniversary a couple of years ago, and they weren't the $10 Wal-Mart ones either. They have served me well, but I didn't want to chuck them if I didn't have to. I'm glad I was able to fix the shoe! Even if I only get a few more miles out of these...

So now I can add "cobbler" to the many titles I hold - or at least shoe repairer! LOL!

My Stocking OOPS!

2011-01-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is a fun Nativity stocking that I had - only 1 left since I had originally made 4 and a friend of mine only needed 3 of them. I had this stocking for sale in my craft shops online.

Stocking description:

Lovely printed Nativity panel used to create this quilted stocking. The sky is dark blue (nearly black), Nativity characters are multi-colored, and the top cuff is a slightly lighter blue with gold vines. Medium-sized stocking, 12 inches top to heel, 14 inches top to toe, 6 inch top opening, 9.5 inches at widest part of toe.

The front part of stocking is hand-quilted around all the nativity characters. The stars at the top of the stocking are also hand-quilted with gold metallic thread, as are the details along the top cuff.

The back of the stocking is a single layer of cheery Christmas fabric (not quilted), to avoid bulk in the seams.

I mentioned in the listing of the stocking that this one is one of a kind as it was made from a pre-printed panel from which the stocking pattern was cut, and I have not been able to locate the stocking panels since that stocking was made. The panel made 4 stockings... so this was the last one of its kind.

I had this single stocking listed in 2 online shops, and sold it in one shop (YAY!), but I got busy with Christmas stuff and forgot to remove it from the other one... that was all good and well until...

The SAME stocking sold on Monday in the other shop... EEK! OOPS!

So I had to recreate the stocking on Monday, not having the same panel from which I made the first!

Here is the replacement stocking... I had fabric from the same line that I used today to make a REPLACEMENT STOCKING. Instead of just a pre-printed stocking, this was made using a paper pattern that I just-so-happened to have made from the original stocking (it was a PERFECT size for making other stockings). I took the cuff fabric off a completely different panel.

The scene on this stocking fabric is slightly different (more detail behind the people, fewer stars, less swirly top cuff) than the original but the stocking itself is the same size with the same care in construction - hand-quilted with metallic thread around the nativity characters, etc.

Here are details of the 2 stockings, side by side, for comparison. Original on the left, replacement on the right:

Original vs Replacement Stocking

Detail of Nativity Characters

Original vs Replacement Stocking

Detail of top cuff

Original vs Replacement Stocking

back side of the stockings

Original vs Replacement Stocking

They are not exactly the same, obviously, but I think they are PRETTY darn close, especially considering that I had only a traced pattern of the stocking shape and a photo of the original stocking to work from. I'm so glad I had some of that fabric from the same line to work with, or it would not have happened at all.

Thankfully, the buyer was very gracious, and was pleased with the replacement! PHEW!

Tell me what you think of the replacement stocking (i.e., the FIX to my OOPS!)!

Happy New Year! HELLO 2011!

2011-01-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's 1:11pm on 1/1/11!

Happy New Year, fellow weirdies!!

Praying many blessings on the next year for you all! May you feel loved and appreciated like you never have before, and really treasured for the individual that you are! I'm so glad to have you on this journey with me.

Happy 2011!

Holiday Gift Guide - Presented by It's OK to be WEIRD!

2010-11-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Come visit It's OK to be WEIRD!

and explore the growing Holiday Gift Guide -

great gift ideas of all sorts!

Fabric Coil Christmas Ornaments

2010-10-09T22:46:00.003-06:00

I saw a picture earlier this week, and I KNEW that I had found a new project to work on. The photo was of some Christmas ornaments made from coils (rolls) of fabric.

So, without a pattern, and only the picture to follow, I thought I'd give it a try.

This is the result of my efforts today:

Angel, Christmas Tree and Snowflake Fabric Coil Ornaments

Aren't they cute? I like them.

I liked making these a lot, so I think I'll be making some more. Here are some more photos in a slideshow:

When I get a few more made, they'll be going up on my Creations By Sweet Mummy Artfire shop.

It's only 76 days until Christmas now, you know! :)

Camo Overalls

2010-09-20T20:37:00.003-06:00

Last spring my sweetie had me go to Fabricland and buy a bunch of their camouflage fabric to make him some overalls for hunting. We're in new territory, and none of his camo matches the foliage around here and none of it is heavy enough for some of the winter hunting he'll be doing up here.

SO, I made him a camo hoodie a while back and ventured to put together a pair of overalls for him to take up north with him for the moose hunt this week.

The fabric of choice for this project is Mossy Oak Forest Floor camo, and I believe it's treated with some kind of waterproofing. It is a heavy material, soft and a bit nappy/fuzzy on the outside, but not very soft or smooth on the inside. As they were to be overalls, the weight was what mattered, and not a comfy material for wearing against ones skin. I was unable to iron the fabric at all without using a pressing cloth between the iron and the fabric. Otherwise it would stick to my iron (that was a bit messy to clean off!), so that slowed me down a bit.

But, it was a doable project, and my sweetie is thoroughly pleased with the finished product. He probably couldn't buy a better made pair of overalls! I didn't count hours, but I spent a few days working on it. So he probably can't afford to pay me for my time and skill either! LOL!

Here's a slideshow of the finished project:

I'm not sewing anymore clothes for a while if I can keep from it. I have some quilting projects that seriously need to be completed! :)

A Different Kind of Wall-Hanging

2010-07-31T14:38:00.001-06:00

Who needs a $160 antler mounting kit? Not my sweetie and I. Just give us the pieces of an old oak table, some screws, wood filler, varnish, some quilt batting and camo fabric - all things we had on hand around the house. Then VOILA!

Axis Deer Antlers

My Sweetie mounted these Axis antlers from our friends' wild game ranch down in Texas. We babysat the ranch for them 2 summers ago for a week so our friends could go on holidays. My husband shot an axis deer buck while we were there, and we never found it... In reward for his efforts, though, he got to choose a set of the antlers that they collect around the ranch every year after the shed. So, he calls this, "The One that Got Away".

It is now hanging on just about the only wall we can put it on - the big open space above our front door. The issue is that antlers are heavy, so it has to be hung on the only stud in that wall, which is centered over the door opening, NOT center on the wall itself. LOL!

That's where it lives now! Need to find a little something to put opposite of it to make the wall more balanced.

(P.S. - we are aware that axis antlers actually sit closer together and go more UP than out, but, you work with what you've got!)

I did help a bit with the batting and fabric covering the center block. We needed to get a good 'poof' over the middle part while getting the fabric wrapped around to the back and secured in place. YAY for staple guns!

I have an avid big game hunter in the house - I have a freezer full of venison, a deer skin on my coffee table and now antlers on the wall. It is what it is, and I'm proud of his skill as a hunter - so he can show it off however he wants to! :)

I think it looks great, very professional, too! And he did it all this morning! That's my man!

The Nativity No. 2

2010-07-16T14:04:00.002-06:00

My FIRST ever item posted on ArtFire. What fun!

The Nativity

This is a stylized version of the Nativity, completed as a paper-pieced quilted wall-hanging. Perfect for smaller spaces, it's only 15 inches wide x 14.5 inches tall. The smallest pieces in the quilt are less than 1/4 inch.

Machine-pieced and machine-quilted, using 100% cotton fabric, using cotton and poly-cotton thread.

The background fabric is dark black marbled with a bit of purple, and meander quilted (free motion) with stars as details above the stable. Hand-dyed muslin (with tea) creates a nice skin tone for the Nativity family members. Includes metallic gold thread quilted embellishments around the star and the manger, and variegated and black bobbin thread (on the back).

I include my initials and the date completed on all my projects, usually on the lower right corner of the back (and usually quite small).

The wall-hanging is complete with a hanging sleeve, sash rod in the sleeve, and hanging hardware (2 hooks with 4 nails). Also included are care and handling instructions.

I don't have a professional photography studio, but have tried to take some good representative photos.

Pattern: Silent Night (#630), by Sweet Peas, Inc. Redmond, WA, USA

This Blog is Carbon Positive

2010-07-15T19:47:00.000-06:00

It seemed like the right thing to do.

I have a tweep (someone I follow on Twitter) who told me about the "Plant a Tree" initiative. This program plants a tree for every blog or site registered in the program.

Why plant a tree? Because trees use carbon dioxide and replace it with oxygen in the air.

Still not clear? Think about this: visiting a blog uses electricity, and making electricity (to power the servers, computers, etc, as well as the cooling systems) discharges carbon dioxide, having an overall negative impact on the environment. They've figured out that 1 new tree planted for each blog will actually use more carbon dioxide than the blog creates, essentially negating the carbon dioxide effects of the blog on the atmosphere.

I'm not sure how it all works, but I do know enough about science to know that planting a tree is rarely (if ever?) a bad thing. If my blog is contributing to the mounting carbon dioxide discharge in the world, and I can do something to minimize or even stop contributing all together, then that's a good thing too.

Ixpo will plant a tree for my blog, just because I added the button to my blog, and told you about it! Cool, eh?

So, this blog is carbon positive! It just seemed like the right thing to do!

Behind the Scenes

2010-07-14T23:35:00.002-06:00

Lots going on around here, in the creations department, but nothing completed yet to show for it! I am oh-so-close to being finished with another Nativity, and when it's done I'll also unveil another thing I've been working on behind the scenes - my ArtFire shop.

So excited for both of these things, and have several projects scheduled already - hopefully shorter ones that I can crank out pretty quickly. Plus a few series of posts on some of these projects (like the Grade 3 Class Project Quilt).

I also feel the need to apologize for weird formatting and font issues here on the blog. I'm sorry if any of the posts are hard to read. I have NO idea how to fix it, but the first sections of my posts keep coming out in tiny font, so I change it to Large and now it's ENORMOUS. I can't figure out the coding stuff to know why it's doing it. A behind the scenes thing I don't get and need to work on sometime.

Summer is supposed to mean more time, right? Well, around here, not so much! HA! But that's OK. I'll get some of these things up, front and center, soon, and you'll be able to see what's been going on behind the scenes!

UFOs - quilts that is...

2010-07-01T23:04:00.003-06:00

disclaimer: I'm not sure WHY it's happening, but I AM aware that the first section of all of my blog posts is coming up with smaller font than the rest. I can't seem to find the coding or formatting error, and can't fix the problem. I apologize for the smaller print. Still working for a solution! Thanks for your patience! :)

In the world of quilting, a UFO is an Un-Finished Object (or something like that).

Well, I posted all my UFOs as an entry for a giveaway a while ago, but I have finished a few of those, so I thought I'd update things.

As I went through my collection a few weeks ago, I didn't have as many UFOs as I thought. I have lots of patterns, and LOTS of ideas, but haven't started as many of them as I originally thought I had. That's a good thing. It means that I can maybe actually catch up with these projects...... nah, what what I thinking! LOL!

UFO #1 - Girls of the World

part still together

parts coming apart and sashing bits removed already

improper sashing

This is a quilt that was done with fabric paint (Tri-Chem if you remember them) by my mother and pieced by my Granny. The piecing was done improperly (note how the sashing is incorrect), and it they didn't use batting (just an old blanket on the back) and I'm taking it apart to put together again. (SHH! Don't tell Mom and Granny, they don't know.) I love the girls, and want it to be properly quilted.

(more projects and lots of pics after the jump)

UFO #2 - Small Nativity

Paper-Pieced Nativity front and back

Unfinished paper-pieced nativity

I just completed one of these a couple of weeks ago (The Nativity), but the other one I still have to finish paper-piecing. I thought I would quickly get them done so I could work on the binding while sitting at soccer/softball/baseball games with my kiddos, but haven't gotten that far yet! I want to put them in my Etsy/Artfire shops (which are still empty as of yet!).

UFO #3 - Buck a Block

Buck a Block patterns (12 months x 2 colors)

Block #1 pink/white pieces - orange/beige fabric

This was a block of the month program that I got to work on with my daughter. It's a Thangles pattern and included all the thangles plus fabric for $1 a month plus shipping (as I recall) - it was a good deal and looked like a fun project. Well, we got the pieces for the first block in 1 color done (she was doing pink/white, and I was going to do the orange/beige) and that's about as far as we got. It looks like an awesome project still, and fairly simple!

UFO #4 - Serpentine

Serpentine Blocks and Confetti Pattern Book (by Mary Mashuta)

Serpentine pieces

My Sweetie bought this book for me and wants a Serpentine quilt made for him with stripes and polka dots. I have all the pieces cut out, just need to piece the blocks and then do a layout - which requires curved piecing, and then putting all the blocks on a design wall and matching color pathways, etc.... I think that's why it's still in the box!

UFO #5 - Purple Heralding Angel

Pretty Lady

This is a stained glass project for myself, that keeps getting put off. I made this angel in blue for my mom-in-love, facing the other direction. It's a beautiful quilt. I know where this one is going to live in my house, too.... when she gets done! She's one of my favorite quilts, I just need to get to her to get it finished!

UFO #6 - Mock Cathedral Window

Not even sure what this block is called. The pattern was given to me by a friend and it's one of those 'take with you' kinds of projects. You get a few of the insides and outsides cut out and you take it in the car, to the drs office, etc., to sit and work on by hand while you're waiting/traveling/etc. It's a fun project that will be ONGOING for a while! I think I got set back because the muslin I originally chose for the outside was too thin, so the brighter fabrics could be seen through it.... I have the thicker muslin now, just have to cut some more pieces to take on the go with me!

UFO #7 - Crazy Quilt

This is another ONGOING project. I will take some of my favorite scraps and make these blocks from time to time, until I have enough to put a quilt together. My Great-Grandmother quilted like this, using a foundation to build the crazy squares on, and then putting them all together, and taught me her method a few years ago. I don't think this first one I'll be able to give away. But it's a relatively simple method, and is a great way to use up scraps!

UFO #8 - Mending

Does this even count as a project? It's never-ending with 3 kiddos in the house! Always something to be mended, or holey-kneed pants needing to be made into shorts, or something! But, there the stacks sit, waiting for another mending day!

Those are my current UFOs. I thought for sure I must have had 20-25 projects on the go. 8 isn't too bad, eh?

Grade 2 Baby Quilt

2010-06-24T00:47:00.004-06:00

My youngest son started his school year off with 2 teachers. His afternoon teacher was having a baby, and meant to work until May before having her baby hopefully late in May. She ended up having to leave work early for bed rest and had her baby a bit early. The children in class love this teacher and have missed her VERY much. Having done a similar project with a grade 1 class a few years ago, I offered to help the class make a quilt as a gift for the teacher and her new daughter.

The children each colored their own block with fabric markers and then I put it all together!

TADA! The finished product! A VERY girly, very bright baby quilt! (names smudged for posting the pics here - not just messy coloring!)

A bit of a close up of the quilt

The children are in French Immersion so many of the greetings are in French, which is fun!

The back of the quilt - a nice polka-dotted fabric with a marbled binding. You can see a bit of the machine quilting here as well - just stitch in the ditch along the blocks and sashes.

I can't wait to give it to the teacher. She is going to be so surprised... she has no idea we're doing this! :) I think she'll be pleased! (If I remember correctly, the last teacher cried when she got her quilt like this!)

side note: (the first paragraphs in the post are coming out with smaller print and I can't quite figure out why. It shows FINE in the html of the post editor here in blogger and when I try to change it, it doesn't change anything. I apologize for the small print.)

Grade 3 Art Quilt Project

2010-06-21T10:40:00.003-06:00

My son attends an integrated arts school, so art of all kinds is used in nearly every aspect of learning. I offered to do a class project with his Grade 3 class this year for their Art block in May and June.

Stage 1 was learning about quilts, selecting a theme and choosing blocks to make.

Stage 2 was making the blocks (piecing/sewing and fabric coloring).

Stage 3 was cutting the sashing and setting squares.

Stage 4 was piecing the quilt.

Stage 5 was quilting.

The children were active in every stage but Stage 5 (partly because of time constraints).

It's all finished now, and it's GORGEOUS! They are so proud!

I'm going to publish a series of posts describing each stage of the project, because I learned a lot doing this, and will likely want to do something like this again in the future.

It was LOTS of fun (and lots of work) but the kiddos LOVED doing it and were a great group to work with! What great memories! The finished quilt will hang in a common area of the school.

Quick Little Gift Bag

2010-06-18T14:51:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we got a present for my Daughter's friend for her birthday. She picked 2 great big velvet coloring posters. In fact, she got her this exact same one shown at YouColorPosters (cute little puppy dogs) and one that has a big heart with the word LOVE on it.

We got home and realized that we didn't have any gift bags big enough for the big posters.... And all the wrapping materials are up in the attic. (I don't go into the attic unless I absolutely have to, and I can't find anything up there when I do go...) And no time to go back to the store. HMPH.

So, being crafty, I measured out some fabric I had from some other project and put together a cute little gift bag.

There it is, leaned up on my couch to snap a quick pic.

It has 2 handles and a pin closure, with a ribbon bow on the front. I thought about doing a drawstring, but didn't feel like fiddling with it, so I passed on the idea. (sorry the photo is a little blurry...)

As my daughter headed off to school this morning she just about forgot the present. I put it in a blue plastic recycle bag so it wouldn't get wet or dirty since she had to take it to school with her (party is right after school). Thankfully I reminded her just as she was walking out the door.

So, away went the little purple gift bag, on it's first big adventure!

I'll find out in an hour or so how it went. I think the bag worked pretty well, especially for a kiddo's present, and it can be used for other things now, too. A Useful Bag for Putting Things In (as Pooh Bear might say) And it didn't take me long to put it together!

The Nativity

2010-06-16T00:08:00.000-06:00

My latest quilting project is completed. I donated it to our church youth group - they are doing a Silent Auction for a fundraiser to raise money for the team to go on a missions trip to Mexico.

Presenting:

The Nativity

This is a small wall-hanging, about 15" x 18". It was pieced using the paper-piecing technique. A nice little project, with quite a few teeny pieces to put together! (Pattern by Sweet Peas, Inc.)

This is the back of the hanging - a fun tie-dye fabric I had from something else I had taken apart. You can see on the back better than the front (in the photos anyway) that there are stars quilted in the stipple stitch in the 'sky'.

It was a fun project to do, and I have another one about 1/3 completed. I hope to post it on my Artfire or Etsy shop when I get it done.

I've donated a few quilts to auctions now, and I'm quite happy to contribute in this way. I hope the bidders are pleased as well!

Pattern: Silent Night (#630), by Sweet Peas, Inc. Redmond, WA, USA

Quilt Index (21)

2010-06-13T13:51:00.000-06:00

Right now, these quilts 'live' on my original blog. They'll be moved over in time. But for now, you can click the links below to view them on the other blog.

(index will be updated each time I add a quilt)

Bits of Coral

Sampler Quilt I made to keep for myself.

Purple Pizzaz Quilt

Sampler Quilt Made for my Sister.

Custom T-Shirt Quilt

T-shirts provided by the customer, designed together to highlight these precious memories.

* Heralding Angel Quilt *

Stained Glass Wall Hanging

Teacher Gift Quilt

Reversible Table Runner

Teacher gifts 2007

Reversible table runners

Sleepover Doll Quilt

Little Girl's Quilt with handmade dollies and their own little beds

Simple Baby Quilt

Small quilt for putting over car seat / infant carrier or just tucking into the diaper bag to use on the floor or lawn.

Noah's Ark Baby Quilt

Crib Quilt

"Gathering Stars" Quilt

Queen-sized patriotic patchwork quilt - Patience Block pattern inverted

Reversible Holiday Table Runner

Thanksgiving / Christmas themes

Kokopelli Themed Quilt

Southwestern style Ohio Star pattern - wall hanging

"Funny Farm" Quilt

Lap Quilt made from pieced blocks and printed panels

I Love You T-H-I-S Much Quilt

Appliqued wall hanging - a fun children's quilt

Two Forever Stars

A shorter table runner, with paper-pieced nautical stars

Teacher's Baby Quilt

Tribute / Memory Crib quilt made using students drawings as a gift for teacher and her new baby

Camping Out Quilt

Wall-hanging or table top quilt in an outdoor theme - appliqued flannels

Katie's Laundromat Quilt

Wall-hanging to hang in a laundry room - applique with fun details

Plains Indian Quilt

Queen sized quilt made with printed panels

Silly Sewing Machine Quilt

Paper-pieced wall-hanging with button embellishments

1st Sampler Quilt

Chicken Quilt - a bit larger than lap size - each block is different!

Now taking orders for quilts like these
as well as custom made-to-order quilts of all sizes.

for more details!

The Sugar Pine Quilt Company

2009-07-03T21:29:00.016-06:00

About a month ago the girls in our family took a little trip, and had ourselves a little adventure. I mentioned before that my mom-in-law, my daughter, and myself were going to be driving 4+ hours to visit some new friends and a fantastic quilt store we had been told about. We were excited for some girl time away from the normal routine!

What fun it was to meet my Facebook friend (from BC) and her Facebook friend (from Wales) who were travelling together across Canada! We had a lot of fun with them for the few hours we had together. We enjoyed a lovely lunch together at the Ptarmigan Inn in downtown Banff, and then headed back east to Canmore for the headline event - visiting The Sugar Pine Co. Quilt store!

WOW! This quilt store was SO awesome! The setting was lovely, nestled in downtown Canmore with gorgeous views all the way around, and the store itself was fantastic. 2-stories of fabric and quilting notions and patterns and everything a quilter ever needs.

There are over 300 finished quilts on display in the store, with patterns available for most of them and MANY MANY more. The store was VERY well laid out and organized so that we could easily find what we were looking for. The trick, of course, was deciding what we were looking for! It was almost overwhelming!

There were easily hundreds of bolts of fabric, and thousands of fat quarters. They had baskets and buckets and shelves with fat quarters all around, including a section with $0.99 Fat Eights and $1.99 Fat Quarters (what a deal!). What I liked best about their fat quarter selection was that many of them were actually in little cubbies between the top & bottom shelves of fabric on bolts. That means that there were many many many fat quarters that were esentially arranged by the color wheel, so I could go to where the purple fabric bolts were and pick out a purple fat quarter in the cubby underneath the shelf.

The layout of the upstairs where all the fabric was kind of resembled a lowercase letter "h", and even with so much stuff in there it was easy to get around and explore! One side was seasonal fabrics, one side was basically a color wheel with the fabrics arranged by color, one side was all bright novelty fabrics, and there were patterns and notions of all sorts in the center and one corner.

They had many applique patterns for beautiful landscapes and other fun stuff! There were many patterns of the gorgeous Rocky Mountain vistas so popular in the Banff and Canmore area. Racks and racks of patterns - I could have gotten into a LOT of trouble in this store! But instead, I focused on helping my daughter find a couple of little projects.

We didn't have much time to explore the downstairs, but what we did see was so much fun. Ribbons, piping, tulle, buttons and other embellishments were everywhere. There were also gifts for quilters, thread of all sorts, including embroidery thread in every shade of the rainbow, and fun local fare like the maple leaf pins we found by the register.

Because we had found their bargain corner and bought much of our fabric on this occasion from that section, we got out of the store for under $100. I found their fabric of good quality and very reasonably priced, even for those not on special. They have so many one-of-a-kind original patterns there, too, that are of good value. We also discovered that many of their fabrics and patterns can be purchased through the Sugar Pine online store, and they ship all over the place, so we'll likely order some of their patterns that way in the future.

It was well worth our time, driving 8+ hours round trip, to go to this store, and to meet some new friends. I know that the next time I go through Canmore I will stop at The Sugar Pine again. It was just too much fun to pass up! I highly recommend this quilt store to any who are in the area, or who happen to be passing through on a Canadian Rocky Mountain adventure! It's worth a look for sure!

Custom T-Shirt Quilt

2007-06-26T19:53:00.003-06:00

My latest project, completed!

This was a SURPRISE quilt done for a gentlemen who plays lead (guitar) in a blues band. The T-Shirts are from many of the music festivals he's participated in. As their family was getting ready to move, his wife wanted to 'just do something' with the t-shirts (probably toss them) but he really wanted to keep them. So, she had me make a quilt out of his t-shirts - making something useful out of them, while still keeping them for sentimental purposes.

It's a VERY custom quilt, one of a kind for sure.

Quilt top - no borders and no quilting yet , just the t-shirts put together in blocks.

The FEATURE shirts:

- the top t-shirt was too big to cut into a diamond - I needed a BIG square to get it all.

- the 2nd shirt was the shirt he wore on the cover of his first CD. This is the actual shirt, complete with collar, buttons and faux pocket. This shirt is 3-D! It was fun to figure out how to include this important part of his musical history!

The completed quilt - with borders, quilting and binding - all the details in place!

The CD Cover shirt

An example of the custom quilting done on the quilt - music notes, music staffs, treble and bass clefs, etc.

There are lots of fun details that the family has been finding as they have looked over this quilt (it was given on Father's Day)! The buttons from the CD Cover shirt are used in the corners of the outside borders, there are guitars quilted in the sashes around the blocks and in the big corner stones on the borders, fabric from the t-shirts was also used to make the corner stones around each of the blocks, etc.

It was a blast to do! It was a lot of fun to try to make this a real memory piece for the family - something that HE would enjoy and that they could all look at as a piece of their history for years to come.

I definitely learned a lot doing this quilt and I'm so glad to have been able to participate in this kind of project. It's very special for someone to trust you with their memories like this!! It's a very nice addition to my 'quilt portfolio'.

Teacher Quilt Gift

2007-03-31T13:15:00.001-06:00

At the end of every school year it takes some real creativity to show your children's teachers how much you appreciate them... again. Most of them probably have a cupboard full of "Best Teacher" mugs. And how many apples can a teacher stand? Paperweight for their desk? Some little 'teacher' knick-knack?

I wanted to put my "creative" skills to work at the end of the last school year to give our teachers something nice but that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. My mom-in-law introduced me to a super cute reversible quilted table runner. "Ta-Da!" There was the idea, now I just had to put it to work.

Teachers - we usually think of school stuff when we think of teachers (LOL!).

So, find some cool school fabric. Check!

OH - but we often think of teachers and apples, too. So, find some apple fabric. Check!

Now we're in business!!

Reversible Quilted Table Runner

Teacher's End of Year "Thank You" Gift

~ apple side ~

~ apple side detail (a bit blurry...) ~

~ apple side center panel detail ~

~ apple side with flip to school side ~

Reversible Quilted Table Runner

Teacher's End of Year "Thank You" Gift

~ school side ~

~ school side center panel detail ~

~ school side detail ~

~ school side end detail ~

~ school side with flip to apple side ~

Once again, this is a 'quilt-as-you-go' reversible quilt, quilted with variegated thread. And this kind of quilt can be done with any themes. This theme seemed to work well for teachers!