QUILTING COUTURE

sewing studio wall

2012-01-18T08:17:00.001-08:00

sewing studio wall, a photo by nanotchka on Flickr.

It's the new year and I'm finally back on track and ready to blog again. I have so many new projects in progress and I'm excited to share them. My studio is organized and is such a pleasure to work in. You can see my studio wall here with all of my new shelves for my collection of fat quarters. I will share more views of my studio in the coming weeks. The little white chair stacked with my mother in laws vintage bread pans full of fat quarters was the chair my husband sat on to have his hair cut when he was a boy! You can see that my shelves on the wall on filled with memorabelia. These are some of the things that inspire me and bring back so many memories as I work.

owl on linen

2011-08-22T10:53:00.001-07:00

owl on linen, a photo by nanotchka on Flickr.

Ive been making some new owl pictures for my etsy store this week. I like to put them on a nice linen background and use some of my favorite quilting prints for their bodies. My stock of vintage buttons work great for the eyes. I give them detail with a little free motion thread painting. all of the frames that I use are vintage and re-purposed. Now back to my quilts!

ready to quilt

2011-08-20T18:03:00.001-07:00

ready to quilt, a photo by nanotchka on Flickr.

My daughter had her choice of my fabric stash and chose the stack of Blossom by Urban Chics for Moda for a quilt! After pouring though some of my favorite quilt books she picked this Whirly gig design from Kaffe Fassetts Country Garden Quilts. I made it larger than the pattern and the finished quilt will be about 96 X 96! I hope she likes it! It's ready to quilt and then will be on it's way to Memphis!

2011-08-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to try out a tool tool! I found this handy "Curve Master" machine foot at the Puyuallup sewing show in the spring. It makes it super easy to do those dreaded curved pieced blocks that everyone loves so much right now! It has adaptors that make it work for just about any machine you might have in your sewing room. It worked perfectly without any adapters on my Viking Designer SE. My project of the week is a great whirly gig block from Kaffee Fassett.

505 pieces cut for three different sets of blocks that will give me a finished 96" X 96" finished quilt. The blocks will be 10" finished, then I will add sashing and a wonderful border. The fabric collection is Blossom by Urban Chics.

I have 24 blocks of the 36 finished and ready for the circular center applique. This will be a slower part of the process. Now I need to gather the outside of the circles and pull that in to fit the cardboard template, then I can press the perfect seam allowance of each circle before it is appliqued! I think the finished result will be well worth the time!

value quilt quilt-along

2011-08-10T12:01:00.001-07:00

value quilt quilt-along, a photo by nanotchka on Flickr.

This is Quilt #6 of my 23 unfinished quilt tops! I made this quilt last year for the value quilt along. I challenged myself to use fabrics from my stash on this one! This fabric is all Marimeko prints from Finland that I purchased in the early 80's or late 70's! It was interesting working with such vibrant and bold patterns to co the quilt along.

quilting on my longarm

2011-08-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

One of the first quilts to come off of my new Innova longarm quilting machine! This is one of my favorite scrappy quilts, just perfect for a man I think. This is one of 23 quilt tops stacked and waiting to be quilted. I will be posting them as they are finished and I think you will be surprised at some of the less "traditional" quilts. I love to explore new patterns and designs as well as using unexpected fabrics in my quilts. What a shame that these lovely cottons from Texas are no longer being made after over 100 years of making some of the finest cottons in the U.S.A.! Another mill lost and gone forever.

I decided that this quilt just needed a nice geometric edge to edge quilting so that the detail of the piecing could shine! I used a little of every piece of Mission Valley that I could find!

This scrappy quilt called for a scrappy binding! Watch for a tutorial on this fun binding for a "stash" quilt.

This is actually the very first quilt that I quilted on my new longarm. This is a special quilt that I was in the process of making for my mother for mother's day when she passed away in April. Now that it is finished it will be given to a very special friend.

orphan charm square quilt

2011-05-21T08:59:00.001-07:00

orphan charm square quilt, a photo by nanotchka on Flickr.

I wanted to try a new way of making pinwheels that I found on www.missouriquilts.com I decided to rescue a pile of orphan charm squares that were sad leftovers or rejects from other projects. I love the scrappy result.

trendy apron

2011-04-05T10:57:00.001-07:00

trendy apron, a photo by nanotchka on Flickr.

I am working on my samples for summer classes at The Simple Thimble. This will be a "Lets get sewing" class for beginners. I think this flirty apron will be a fun first project to learn some simple sewing technigues. It uses just 3 fat quarters and can be made in a morning or afternoon class. I am looking forward to the summer Thimbleina classes especially where I will be working with children from 8-12 who are just learning to sew! I can't wait to get started!

Vintage sheet Asterisk Chenille Quilt

2011-02-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Vintage Sheet Asterisk Chenille Quilt Tutorial and Giveaway!
Generator

Min:

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Result:

13

AND THE WINNER IS NUMBER 13! Jennadesigns is the winner! Please contact me and let me know what colors of chenille you would like to have and I will get them right out to you along with my new book Re-Inventing Chenille. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments. I hope some of you try this run way of making an Asterix Quilt!

A tutorial and a Giveaway! Learn how to make this fun Chenille Asterisk Quilt and have a chance to win 3 rolls of 3/8 inch wide Chenille-It Blooming Bias as well as a Book!I spent last week end making this "Asterisk" inspired quilt using fat quarters of vintage sheets that I received in a recent flickr swap! It was fast and easy to make and was truly a "week-end" project that I completed in just over two days! I made a "real" asterisk quilt for one of the Old Red Barn quilt alongs on flickr last fall and loved the look and style but wasn't quite as happy about all of the time it took to do all of the inset pieces in each block to create the design. I decided it might be easier to use the 3/8 inch wide Chenille-It Blooming Bias to make the design lines and after it was washed I would have the same design lines become the texture and feel of old fashioned chenille. I've had several requests for a tutorial so here it is!

I decided that the look and feel of vintage sheets would be perfect for this project but you can you any quilt fabrics of your choice! This is a perfect charm pack project or a stash buster quilt! I worked with 5 1/2 inch squares because that made the most use of my fat quarters but charm pack 5 inch squares will work just as well. I cut 12 fat quarters into blocks and my finished quilt is 55X60 inches. I also pressed each block in half in both directions before I started stitching my chenille. You will have a perfect center mark to follow as well as a line for the vertical and horizontal stitching. I chose six different colors of 3/8 inch wide Chenille-It Blooming Bias (available here http://www.fauxchenille.com/ on the fabric by the yard page) to coordinate with my blocks.

Begin stitching the corner to corner lines on each block first. Be careful not to stretch the bias chenille tape as you sew. It can also be helpful to use a walking foot if you have one but it is definitely not necessary. The quilt I made was with a regular foot. Set your stitch length to 2.0 to 1.5. The shortened stitch length will be sure to secure the chenille securely. I stitched all of the blocks of one color at the same time chain stitching as I did each row of the chenille. This makes your stitching fast and easy and I had virtually no waste on my chenille tape!

Stitch the second diagonal row! The stitching is simply down the center of the tape! See how easy peasy this is? It's almost like cheating! Next you will do the vertical and horizontal rows. Hint: If you fold your block in half and press both ways before you stitch your chenille.....you will have a line to follow for your strips! (Cheating again!)

See how easy that was? I did these blocks in an afternoon! I recommend that you press each one flat from the wrong side before piecing them together just in case your machine has caused any puckering of the fabric when you stitched down the bias strips.

With my 12 fat quarters worth of blocks I was able to lay out 12 rows with 10 blocks in each row and I had a few left ofter to use for throw pillow as well! Stitch your blocks together one row at a time with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Pressing your seams is your preference whether you like to press to one side or press open. On this quilt I decided that I prefered pressing them to one side alternating the pressing on each row. It makes it so easy to match up my blocks when I sew the rows together. I sewed my blocks together the next morning and was ready to quilt by afternoon.

This is what your finished quilt will look like. Now you are ready to quilt! I used vintage sheets for the back of my quilt and did a stached coin panel down the center of the back with my scraps from the vintage sheet fat quarters! Be sure to have as much fun with the back of your quilt as you did with the front! Layer and stack your quilt with your favorite batting and pin baste for machine quilting. This is the next part that is cheating for sure! I really like to use a machine with a walking foot for this type of machine quilting. We will be doing straight line quilting and the walking foot keeps everything moving through nice and even without any puckering or bunching up of the top layer as you stitch. Most machine manufacturers offer a walking foot for their machines! If you don't have one it's really worth the investment!

I started quilting on one end of my quilt on the first horizontal line of chenille bias. You will simply stitch right on top of your stitching on each row of bias! Try and stay right on the same row of stitching so that you won't affect the chenille when it blooms! Stitch all of the horizontal rows unrolling your quilt as you go and then reroll the other direction and do the opposite rows. And finally...roll your quilt corners to the center and starting with the center diagonal row, stitch all of the diagonal rolls again on top of the original stitching! This made it so fast as easy to quilt and all of my rows were perfect and straight without any marking!

Trim the edges of your quilt and bind with your favorite technique. If you don't like binding you can serge the edges of your quilt and stitch a double layer of the 5/8 inch wide Chenille-It Blooming Bias to both the front and the back of the quilt with the edge extending a good 1/8 inch beyond your serged edge. This is the fastest and easiest way to finish an edge ever and when it is washed you will have a soft fluffly chenille edge to your quilt. For this quilt I finished it with a traditional binding and then stitched a row of the pink 3/8 inch over the seam so add a line a pink around my quilt.

Now the fun part! Throw your quilt in your washer. You will get the best result with a top loading washer! Front loading machines don't agitate so if you have a front loader you may want to go to a laundramat. Another note! This is NOT A RAG QUILT! You will NOT get any mess when you wash this quilt. All of the tape is on the true bias so when you stitch your rows you are catching all of the threads! All it's going to do is fluff up....not leave any mess in your machine unless it's a little (very little) bit of lint when you dry it!

Rag quilts make a huge mess in your washer and dryer because they are cut on the straight of grain! Plus you also clip all of those seams so when you wash it all of the threads come out into your machine. There are many laundramats that won't even let you wash that type of quilt in their machines! I promise you this quilt will not do that!

The finished result! The soft texture of chenille! I hope you like this version of the asterisk quilt! It is fun and easy to make. Try it for a childrens quilt....they love the soft feel and they are soooo cuddly!

I think it's time for a giveaway! Your choice of three 3/8 inch wide rolls of Chenille-It Blooming bias! You pick the colors and I'll hrow in a copy of my book Re-Inventing Chenille. Just leave a comment for one chance. Follow my blog for a second chance and Blog about this tutorial for a third chance to win! I will leave the giveaway open until Valentines Day!

Puppy Love

2011-01-13T13:59:00.001-08:00

Puppy Love
Originally uploaded by littlelightbox

I can't resist sharing one of my daughters photographs! This is my youngest grandson! You can just imagine the photographs that I have of my grandchildren! She will have a website up soon.

SLR camera bag finished

2011-01-02T13:55:00.001-08:00

SLR camera bag finished
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I have been wanting a camera bag that I could use when I'm on a shoot without carrying all of my equipment and lenses as well as something that didn't scream "camera bag"! I used a piece of vintage home dec fabric that I've had for awhile and was waiting for just the right project. The bag is piped on all of the seams with black and has side pockets on the outside side panels for a quick place to keep my lense covers when I'm shooting. It is heavily padded with high density foam. I'm quite pleased with the result. I can't wait to try it out on my next shoot.

slr camera bag.... a look inside

2011-01-02T13:52:00.001-08:00

slr camera bag.... a look inside
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

This is the inside view of my camera bag that I put together over the holidays. The inside is nylon with a double layer of high density foam on the bottom and high density foan on all sides with velcro adjustable interior panels. There is room to hold my slr and an extra lense when I'm on a shoot plus extra room for additional lens filters or a notebook.

scrappy owl bag

2010-11-06T16:29:00.001-07:00

owl bag
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

One of a series of new bags for the big Christmas gift show next week end. I used a combination of decorator fabrics, silks, woolens and lots of scraps and pieces! It was fun pulling the fabrics and creating combinations that I liked. I will post all of the bags when I get them finished (hopefully this week end. 10 more bags in process of being completed.

Scrappy owl bag

2010-11-04T15:23:00.001-07:00

todays project
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I've been working on a pattern for a bag that is the size and shape that I like. I didn't want to spend the time just making the bag out of muslin with nothing to show at the end.

I started with pieces of home dec fabrics that were sample cuts from a local wholesale supplier. I've been obcessed with birds lately and decided to come up with an owl design that would work on the bag. I couldn't spend much time on it so it had to be simple but fun. I just did some free cutting of my fabrics and made a simple owl pattern and quickly rough edged the applique to the bag front.

After spending the afternoon sewing, un-picking, sewing, un -picking over and over again. I came close to what I wanted. It still needs some tweeking but I'm getting close.

Let me know what you think. I'll be having a fun giveaway on Nov. l5th so stay tuned. I'm going to start posting on my blog at least everyother day starting the 15th. There will be giveaways, tutorials and lots of new projects in the months ahead.

halloween calendar in progress

2010-10-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

halloween calendar in progress
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I had a wonderful collection of 3 1/2 inch square from the Bitty block committee swap this month! Everyone made such creative and imaginative blocks that I simply had to share with my grandchildren! I wanted to create something for halloween similar to the advent calendars you see at Christmas. I had to make a few extra blocks to fill in because I wanted to save some of my blocks to do the same thing for THanksgiving. Each block is faced and has a slightly longer piece of fabric behind it so that it forms a pocket. I added an embroidered panel on the top that reads "I Spy Halloween" because the youngest who is four loves I Spy books! I will fill the pockets with odd treats and a few tricks for the days heading up to halloween. My thanks to all of the creative friends who contributed to this little quilt and the one that I will be making for Thanksgiving!

little bouquet quilt along quilted

2010-09-17T11:29:00.001-07:00

little bouquet quilt along quilted
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I've been looking back at the quilts and projects that I've done in the past year. This has to be one of my favorites. It was a quilt along and you can find the button on the side of this blog. It is still up and well worth the time to follow the instruction and make one of these beauties. I added the flower pot to mine made out of a hand dyed vintage linen that had a hand crocheted edging on it. I quilted it heavily used cottons for the pieced background and all silks for the bouquet of flowers! The leaves are also hand dyed fabrics that I purchased at Houston Quilt Festival one year! Enjoy!

scrappy pincushion sneak peak

2010-09-17T11:23:00.001-07:00

scrappy pincushion sneak peak
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

Ah....here is the twist! I've added a pincushion in the shape of a fish with beaded detailing and a fin that serves as a needle case! So is this for the scrappy pincushion swap or for the mug rug swap?

scrappy mug swap

2010-09-17T11:22:00.001-07:00

scrappy mug swap
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

One of my recent swaps is making a "mug rug"! But this one has taken a twist! Stay tune to see what did when I was too tired to pay attention to a few minor details! I wanted my partner to get away from it all when it's time to take a break! So....This is a little carribiean retreat complete with a porthole on the cruise ship to the Matisse style bright colored buildings under the palm trees!

birds, birds everywhere

2010-08-11T10:17:00.001-07:00

birds, birds everywhere
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

Just three weeks to go until the big show in Middway Utah! Here are just a few of my birds that are stitched and waiting to be framed. My husband has been painting frames for days! I won't have much time to blog until the show is over but after that I plan on posting some fun tutorials and lots of new things! And a BIG giveaway in September so stay tuned!

possible DQS9

2010-08-05T17:18:00.001-07:00

possible DQS9
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I am working for the next three weeks on projects that I will be selling at the annual Swiss Days Festival in Midway, Utah. The art event had an attendance of over 100,000 people last year over two days. It will be labor day week end. My daughter and I are sharing a booth. We were so excited to be juried into the show. We have been attending for years and have wished that we could be a part of it. My daughter is a professional photographer and will be selling her "Little Lightbox Designs". She does incredible "word" art and her photographs are amazing!

This bird is one of the pieces that I will be selling at the show. I am also considering do this design in a mini quilt for my DQS9 partner. I have finished another quilt with a bird theme as well that I originally made for the swap but now I am waffling about what my partner might like the best. If I decide to use this one for the show it will be framed in a white frame and sold as an art piece.

I will post more images of the types of things I will be selling in the coming days leading up to the show. If you are in Utah for the Labor Day week end, don't miss this show! Everything is original and must be the work of the artists with 180 booths and lots of entertainment and great Swiss food and bakery goodies!

Hope to see you there!

DQS9 quilted

2010-07-05T16:09:00.001-07:00

DQS9 quilted
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I am in the final stages of the quilt I am making for the DQS9 swap. I am still playing with alot of birds and these are perched on limbs with raw edge applique leaves and lots of free motion stitching on the birds and the leaves! The background is HST's in white and soft muted aqua prints. I wanted the background to be pieced, but very subdued so that the bierds could pop along with the brances and leaves....The border is a favorite butterfly print in chocolate brown and white that seemed to be perfect with the rest of the quilt.... I hope it is something that my partner will like...

Charm mini swap sent

2010-07-05T16:04:00.001-07:00

This is the mini that I made for the Charm mini swap. My partner sent me a charm pack to work with and 1/2 yard of fabric and this is the result. Charm packs are perfect for stacking and I couldn't resist doing some of my birds on a wire! The finished size was about 18X26. It is backed with a fun Moda vintage red print. It turned out so fun that I think I will make a few for the art show I am doing on labor Day! If anyone is going to be in Utah for Labor Day, let me know you won't want to miss this art show! They usually get 70,000 to 80,000 people attending every year for this two day event!

Scrappy flying geese tutorial

2010-06-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

Scrappy Flying Geese Tutorial. Here is the tutorial I promised for the scrappy flying geese blocks. They are so much fun to make and add interest and a scrappy look to a traditional favorite!

You will need:

solid fabric for the base of your blocks ( I suggest a lighter color)

contrasting strips ( I will give you the cutting instructions as we go along....)

Begin by cutting your solid base pieces. for my sample I am cutting 2 1/2 inch high by 4 1/2 inch wide base blocks. This will be the size you will use in making a finished 12 inch block.

Now cut your strips. for this block cut strips 3/4 inch wide. cut an assortment of strips to make your blocks as scrappy as possible. Cut a few strips that are 1 1/4 inch wide. You will use these to finish your corners and eliminate bulky seams close to the corners of the block. These strips can be short. You can even use small scraps to fill this last section.

Prepare your base block. I have drawn a line down the center to make it easier to see, but you will just be pressing this line in place with your iron for reference when you are making your other lines. Mark a line 1/4 inch from the long edge on one side of the rectangle. Now mark 45 degree lines from the corner, intersecting the 1/4 inch line in the center. Mark this 45 degree line from both corners as shown. I have used a black pen so you can see it, but you will want to use just a light pencil or disappearing marker.

I put my block on top of a light box so you can see what I am doing. My block has the side with the lines drawn on it up and facing me. the strip is on the opposite side of the block. this is where the paper piecing technique comes into play. Pretend that the fabric block is your paper. I have lined up my fabric strip 1/4 inch from my drawn line. It was really quite easy to line up just by holding my block up to the light and holding the strip into place. It is also easy to see from the top side shere the strip's 1/4 seamline will line up with my line at the ends and corners of the block. The right side of my fabric strip is facing the underside of my block (right sides together). I will be stitching from the wrong side (side with lines marked on it) of the block. You will stitch along your marked line. turn the block over and press the strip toward the corner.

We are looking at the block on a lightbox again so you can see the fabric strips on the underside of my block. You can see that the first strip has been stitched and pressed up. Now you will do the alternating row on the other side of the block in the same way. You can see where it has been stitched along the other 45 degree line. When you have it stitched you will turn it over, press the seam towards the corner.

OK....the paper piecing part is complete. Now you will begin doing your fun strip piecing! Simply lay your strips right sides together as shown in this photo. Stitch a 1/4 inch seam. Press towards the corner and continue in the same way with the alternating row on the other side! Just like a strip pieced block!

Your blocks will look like this after your first two rows! For this size block you will do 3 rows with the 3/4 inch strips and use the wider strips for your final fourth row (to fill the corners).

Now you have a wonderful stake of fun scrappy blocks! Now we will prepare them for the final block design!

Turn your block over to the wrong side and trim all excess strip pieces away with your rotary cutter and ruler. Be sure to straighten up your side and long edges. Trim your block to a nice finished 2 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch block.

The block on the right is the way your finished block should look. The block on the left is WRONG. The block on the right as you can see has the strips overlapping, giving you a 1/4 "V" from the edge. This will give you a perfect flying geese block when your seams are sewn. If your block looks like the one on the left, you will not have a nice "V" when it is finished.

Now you will use your blocks in the selected design. This is how I laid out my finished 12 inch block! This block was made for the Quilt Dreams quilting Bee for Julie. I can't wait to make a full quilt with these scrappy Flying Geese!

flying geese strip pieces

2010-06-10T11:11:00.001-07:00

flying geese strip pieces
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I will be posting my strip pieced flying geese blocks in a tutorial. I borrowed a combination fo techniques from paper piecing and from strip piecing to make my blocks. I was happy with the scrappy look of these flying geese blocks. I think it makes a fun variation of an old favorite!

scrap quilt

2010-06-01T19:41:00.001-07:00

scrap quilt
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I had a stack of sample squares from Mission Valley Textiles in Texas floating around my sewing room for years! Their fabrics were all fabulous yarn dyed cottons so the colors are as vibrant on the wrong side as they are the right side! In fact you really can't see a wrong or right side on this yarn dyed beauties! I had been waiting for just the right pattern to make a scrappy quilt that could use the wide assortment of plaids, checks and colors. milliemorgan on flickr posted a quilt she had made using this pattern. I loved it! You could tell that it was really a stash buster and the more varied the prints and colors the better! The pattern was originally printed in McCall's quilting magazine in August of 2007. I was able to find a copy on ebay!. This is the result! What a fast and easy pattern to do! I mixed it up a little from the original by shuffling my triangles after I cut my blocks in half! Can you see the pattern? the original pattern had you cut your block in half and sew a 1 1/2 inch strip in the middle, rejoining the two cut triangles to the center strip. But I mixed up my cut blocks and then started sewing the strips into the blocks! I really like the result! An even scrappier quilt don't you think? Then you lay your blocks out so that the strips form the on point squares! I made the entire quilt top in one day! Fast, easy and I think it would be fun in so many different types of fabrics. What a fun way to use a charm pack or two! I plan on making it up in something completely different just so I can compare the results! Let me know if you try this one! Wouldn't it make a fun baby quilt?

pillow top complete

2010-05-15T13:25:00.001-07:00

pillow swap sneak peak in progress
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

Well, here are my little birds on a wire! All stitched with free motion and quilted onto the background. I really like the result and plan to do a series of projects using this theme and design. Products with this design can be found after May 18 in my etsy shop nanotchka.

pillow swap sneak peak

2010-05-15T13:23:00.001-07:00

pillow swap sneak peak
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

This is the canvas for a pillow cover. I'm working with colors and a theme that I think my partner will like. The backgound has been sliced and narrow pieces of white and green were seamed into the solid cotton. After my background was pieced I quilted.

pillow swap talk - ROUND 3 Sign ups!

2010-04-27T20:28:00.001-07:00

pillow swap talk - ROUND 3 Sign ups!
Originally uploaded by alamodefabric

Just signed up for another round of the Pillow Talk swap! It's one of my favorite swaps and the designs are always an inspiration and so much fun to watch as they progress! Don't miss out ! Sign ups going on now!

travel bag for ME!

2010-04-10T18:45:00.001-07:00

travel bag for ME!
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I leave on Monday to visit my daughter In Pittsburgh. I thought a new travel bag was in order and found a great piece of vintage drapery fabric with an interesting tree design on it. I could resist filling the trees with little raw appliqued birds. The bag has a top zipper closure and is fully lined with lots of pockets for the trip. The large rough mother of pearl buttons pick up the colors of the bag and the birds. Now I'm ready to go!

Vintage bird embellished bag

2010-04-10T18:43:00.001-07:00

Vintage bird embellished bag
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I used vintage home dec fabric for the base and filled the tree print with a few birds from modern prints. The bag is heavily quilted and lined with lots of pockets for traveling.

Three Little Birds (Alternate Mix) by Bob Marley

2010-04-10T09:45:00.001-07:00

Three Little Birds (Alternate Mix) by Bob Marley

Posted using ShareThis

not from me

2010-04-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

not from me
Originally uploaded by laplandyellow

I found this on flickr this morning. I love anything old related to sewing! It really lets all of us know that we love and are doing something that has fascinated women since the invention of the sewing machine and probably before that! This is such a wonderful collection! Check it out!

A bag for Erin

2010-04-08T17:15:00.001-07:00

A bag for Erin
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I will be leaving on Monday to visit my daughter in Pittsburgh! Couldn't resist making her something special to surprise her with! This was my second try, I wasn't happy with the first bag and cut it to pieces! But I think she will like this one. The bird fabric is one of my favorite Joel Dewberry prints teamed with some Amy Butler! It is a big bag lined with pink and white polka dots and some Kaffe Fasset floral that looked great with the outside prints! Lots and lots of pockets inside. I think it will make a great travel bag for the summer. You can see it is much bigger than all of my 18 inch pillows! The zipper closure has a fun crystal piece that I was lucky to get in a swap recently. Hope she likes it! Can't wait to give it to her in person! It's been over a year since I've seen her! (and my 4 darling grandsons!) Hope they still know their Nana!

decorated eggs

2010-04-06T15:16:00.001-07:00

decorated eggs
Originally uploaded by bailiwickdesigns

couldn't resist sharing what I found on bailiwickdesigns flikr photostream today! I love the creative use of so many bits and pieces of lace, trim, paper and more! She has used so much detail and each egg seems to have a character of it's own. Check it out! A great inspiration to carry over to other projects from cardmaking to quilts!

pinwheel flower for Ruth

2010-03-14T17:57:00.001-07:00

pinwheel flower for Ruth
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

This is the second block for Ruth's garden quilt in the Blocks of a Feather Quilting Bee. I can't decide if the flower should have a center of dark brown or just to leave it as it is....

block for Ruth

2010-03-14T17:55:00.001-07:00

block for Ruth
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

It's Ruth's month in the Blocks of a Feather Quilting Bee. Her theme is "the garden". The fabrics she chose are soft and remind you of spring. This is the first block that I made for her quilt. I know when I see the hummingbirds in my garden that spring is on it's way. I found snowdrops blooming in my garden on Friday and felt the anticipation of spring. Unfortunately it snowed 6 inches on top of my snowdrops on Saturday afternoon crushing my dreams of an early spring!

DQS8 ready to post

2010-02-21T16:19:00.001-08:00

DQS8 ready to post
Originally uploaded by nanotchka

I have finally finished my DQS8 quilt for my partner. It will be in the mail soon and on it's way. I hate to see this quilt leave, I plan on making one for myself in March. On my way to teach at the Sewing and Stiching Expo in Washington State. Hope to see some of you there! Please join me in my class, I will be teaching a 45 minute seminar each day of the show! It's one of the largest shows in the country so don't miss it if you are in the area!

I hope my partner likes this little quilt. The small lace flowers are embellished with small pearls. I hope it will brighten up someone's world!

don't miss this giveaway!

2010-02-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

Great giveaway on http://www.lovelylittlehandmades.blogspot.com/ She is celebrating her 100th post! You won't want to miss this one!

2010-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

This is the possible design for the doll quilt swap. I found a small block design for this diamond tree in a japanese quilting magazine. I have enlarged it to a 22 inch wall hanging size that will hang on point. I have chosen bright pinks and orange contemporary prints for the fabrics on a crisp white background. I am hoping that my swap partner will like the tree design and bright colors. this has been a fun little quilt to make and a different way of using diamonds. I have needleturned some diamonds for the falling leaves on the tree. I plan to embellish it further with some small lace flowers and tiny buttons from my stash. Will post more pictures when I get it quilted and bound.

advent swap 2009

2010-01-27T11:41:00.000-08:00

I am very very late in posting a picture of all of the fabulous "pressies" that I received in the 2009 Advent Swap from Kaylee in Australia! Can you believe all of the wonderful things that she sent to me! There were so many handmade gifts, like the tiny hand-beaded handbag pin and the hand-stitched basket of cheeries that is pictured here but sits in a frame on my worktable. The Handmade ornaments are amazing and I haven't figured out how she made them yet. My favorite thing in the world is fabric and she sent such special pieces that have Australian prints and some beautiful Japanese fabrics too. The Australian cards are too pretty to send. Lots of trims and special handmade items as you can see! My final gift was the candy cane doll! She looked so precious hanging next to my entryway table filled with candy canes between Christmas Day and New Years Day! My friends and family were very impressed! What a fun swap and we had so much fun chatting back and forth across the world. I plan to keep in touch! Thanks again Kaylee for being such an amazing swap partner and making it so much fun!

quilting 2009

2010-01-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Celebrating a wonderful year of quilting and exploration with a mosaic of my quilts and a mosaic of some of my favorites from other quilters that I have followed on Flickr...

My quilts

Some of my favorites! Inspiration for 2010!

Boys wallet giveaway

2009-12-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

GIVEAWAY! My first blog giveaway! I asked the ORBQA group for help with ideas for Christmas gifts for my four small grandsons and received so many terriffic suggestions that I couldn't begin to make them all this year. I loved the idea of making "man" wallets for the boys to hold some gift cards that they could use after Christmas! I poured over the internet for wallet tutorials and took my favorite bits and pieces from each one to put together this "boys wallets". I chose fabrics for each one that I thought they would love and began to sew! I kind of got carried away and made 6 wallets and I only have four grandsons! What to do! How about giving away two of the wallets? Up for grabs is the baseball wallet that you see here and another boys print!I'll also include two fat quarters of fun novelty prints to make your own! The BYU wallet is for my oldest grandson who is an avid BYU football fan and another grandson loves camouflage and gets the animal wallet. Just leave a comments and tell me what about your favorite internet tutorial. Would anyone be interested in a tutorial for the boys wallet? Just let me know and I'll post it (after Christmas). THanks again to everyone who took the time to give me so many suggestions that will be used I'm sure this year for birthdays and for next Christmas when I plan a little further ahead!

The giveaway will close at midnight MST December 22nd. I will draw a name a post the winners on Decmeber 23rd.

AND THE WINNERS ARE: The random generator picked numbers 1 and 4! As soon as I have your mailing address I will get your wallet and fat quarters off to you! I will do a tutorial for the wallets after Christmas! Have a Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year!

2009-12-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

Whenever I have scraps and odds and ends floating around it seems to give me the excuse to make a few pincushions! Scraps from a Christmas quilt needed that little extra something to make them special enough for one of my pin cushions. I played around a little bit in my embroidery software and came up with this design with four snowflakes. I think these will make fun Christmas gifts and I may even put a few up on my etsy shop. I added heat set crystals to the center of the snowflakes and the stacked buttons. These were just too fun to make....I hope my friends enjoy them and bring them out each year for their Christmas sewing!

2009-12-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

I found an online grouop that is for pincushion lovers. Great source for new pincushion tutorials and lots of chatter about favorite stuffing and lots of sources of all thing Pincushion! They have a "Birthday Stickpin" swap each year and I found them just in time to join for the upcoming year. You make a beautiful stickpin for each person in the group and send them off to the administrator...then...when it's your birday you receive a package full of 22 different wonderful pins to use in your pincushion collection. I will have to wait for June to receive mine but I have postsed a picture of the 22 pins that I made before I put them in the post. It was really a fun project to put together. You truly do learn something new every day if you try!

stitching angel package received today

2009-10-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Jenny in Austrailia sent this lovely package filled with perfectly stitcheded gifts! The little bag is embroidered in blues in the shape of a heart and is the perfect size for my work in progress patterns and notes. It sits on my worktable where I can enjoy every day as I work. There is also an embroidered notebook cover with a little basket and heart design that holds a tablet where I can keep my design notes and sketches. This will be such a nice way to carry my notebook with me wherever I go! The little pink squares are a set of beautiful little coasters with roses on them. They are far to nice to use for coasters, I have them lined up across the top of my design wall where I can see them as I work. I may use them for coasters someday but for now I just want to admire the beautiful stitching! She also sent a beautiful set of stationary with flowers that must be found only in Austrailia, I have never seen anything like them! And a cut of fabric that says" Bootlebrush" ! The pattern of the fabric is wonderful I have been looking up Bootlebrush on the internet to see the tree...nothing like that here! Thank you again for all of the beautiful stitching and the special gifts. I will treasure them and think of Jenny in Austrailia whenever I use them. Be sure to visit her blog: www.elefantz.blogspot.com and see her lovely work!

bento box quilt top complete

2009-10-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally finished the blocks for this bento block quilt. I decided to use some of the yellow and white and black and white prints for the sahing instead of a solid color. Added the sashing so that it made a step design around the blocks with a final border of white and black polka dots. I just wanted it to be fun and keep the random feel of the blocks. Now have 13 unquilted quilt tops! I better get another one made quickly.....(good thing I'm not superstitious!)

Boo!

2009-10-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by ruthiequilts on Flickr who made one of these fun little quilts. The design came from an out of print Quilt with Style magazine. She cleverly added the candy corn border. She made hers as a tiny mini just 6 inches including the border! I made this one large enough for a small mini wall hanging at 13 inches plus the border. It's off to Pittsburgh to surprise my four small grandsons and help them get in the mood for halloween! Boo!!!

Be sure to visit ayankeequilter.blogspot.com for a chance to win a free jelly roll, but more important for a chance to help a family having some trouble right now... make a block and help a family.

patchwork embroidered bag

2009-10-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

I saw a bag similar to this on a blog and sketched it out. I made a note somewhere so I could remember the blog, but it's nowhere to be found. I haven't done any hand embroidery for a long time, but enjoyed doing the handwork part of the bag especially the bee! I spent quite a bit of time doing some detailed quilting as well. I think it really adds to the finished look of the bag. Should be a nice fall accessory.

2009-09-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Some of the tutorial blocks along with the wonky square in the square blocks for my "tutorial quilt". It's been fun to experiment with different type of blocks and different looks for this project. I guess it makes it almost a sampler quilt....almost.....

square in a square log cabin blocks

2009-09-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

This is the square in a square block in the red barn quilt along making wonky log cabins! I decided to add these blocks to some blocks I have been making up following some tutorials I have wanted to try, but didn't want to commit to a full quilt of each of the blocks. I'm using the same collection of fabrics for all of the tutorial and wonky blocks. Once I add the sashing I hope that I will have an interesting quilt. I have made 9 of the wonky log cabin blocks for the quilt and plan to use them as kind of a "tie everything together" block. You can see some of the quilting totorial blocks that will be mixed in. I plan to make this a full size quilt, maybeen queen size.

2009-09-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have an article in the current issue of Sew News! You will find complete instructions for my "Tote of Many Colors" bag on page 52-53. This is a fun, easy bag to make! It has seven different colors of chenillt combined with cream. The Chenille is stitched to a pre-quilted base. If you haven't tried chenille before this is a fun introduction to the new way of making chenille! No layering! No cutting! You can also order kits with all the matierials needed on my website: www.fauxchenille.com

quarter log cabin block with birds

2009-09-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

This week the old red barn quilt along is making quarter log cabin blocks. This is my take on the new blocks! I decided to add another element to this quilt with some little pieced birds in coordinating colors. I loved making the birds so much that I decided to add one to the little bag I made for the friendship bag swap. My bag is packed and ready to send off to it's new home! I have to get busy on the blocks for the quilt now but it may have to wait until after quilt market next month!

2009-09-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have been working on a quilt along making wonky log cabin blocks. I added a 3 inch sashing to each of the blocks and had to make a decision whether to leave the sashing straight or to angle that as well. tomorrow I will post the quilt all put together. It will be interesting to see if everyone agrees with my decision. The light sashing really makes the darker fabrics for this fall quilt stand out. The finished blocks will be 15 inches with a total of 25 blocks. I used 28 fat quarters for the quilt not counting the fabric for the sashing.

stacks and flowers washed

2009-09-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

The final result! My stacks and flowers quilt has been washed and all of the stems and flowers centers bloomed! I like the way it makes the stems and flowers pop. It has given the quilt alot of personality! Should cheer up the guest room! This will be my centerpiece quilt at fall market in Houston! Sneak Peak!

2009-09-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

I had fun putting this bright quilt together and it is finnally quilted and ready to wash. The stems and flower centers will "bloom" when I wash them and add texture to the quilt. Tomorrow you will see the result! This summer is the first time I have made so many bright colored quilts! It has been fun to work with such vibrant colors that really pop with all of this white!

2009-08-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

working on a bento block quilt. This is my first set of blocks that have been cut apart and restitched to make my bento box. Trying to decide if I want to add sashing to set the blocks off or if I like them next to each other!

Picking Cherries

2009-08-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

scrappy mini quilt with wonky log cabins and lots of cherries!

scrappy house quilt

2009-08-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

My first two blocks for my "scrappy little houses" quilt. I haven't decided whether to make it a full size quilt for a bed or a smaller one to hang on the wall. The houses are so much fun to make that I fear it may end up being the full size quilt! Think it would be fun in a guest room.

houses, houses

2009-08-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

I've had alot of fun piecing lots of houses the last few weeks. This is one that I did for myself. I wanted to add more detail to the block and give the house an interesting frame. I think I will do a series of these little house story quilts and another quilt that is just fun with bright colored scrappy houses. Will post some of the scrappy houses next. The house is pieced and the detail work was appliqued. The framework was also pieced. Back to my houses....

2009-08-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Just complete my first quilt for the doll quilt swap group! I made three quilts before I could decide which one I thought my partner might like! I hope this gets easier once I get the hang of it! But I did end up with 2 new minis of my own so I guess it's OK! Hope my partner likes this! going in the mail tomorrow!

2009-08-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

My little bouquet quilt-along is finally quilted! It was fun quilting the flowers and using lots of swirls and leaves to quilt the background of this little quilt. I am pleased with the final result and will probably do more of these little quilts for gifts.

2009-08-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

My little bouquet quilt along mini quilt is ready for quilting! What a fun quilt along this has been. The deep colors with the polka dot hand dyed leaves is the original project. I used mainly silks for the flowers and a hand dyed vintage tea towel for the flower pot! I decided to make a smaller quilt with odd quilting scraps that I had and did the little scrappy flower pot with the yellow green background! I will probably fram this little mini after it is quilted! These little minis will be perfect for handing and I think I will make a few for gifts!

2009-08-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

One of my "scrappy quilts. Lots of odd fabrics mostly vintage! Quilt took over 1200 squares to complete! Happy to have it stitched and ready for the quilting! Another one of my now 10 quilt tops waiting to be quilted. Hope to have the longarm soon!

2009-07-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

We are making this wonderful wall hanging on the little bouquet quiltalong. I have used alot of silk pieces and a few batiks for my roses. The pot for the flowers is a hand dyed vintage piece that I pickied up at International Quilt Festival in Houston last fall. This seemed to be the perfect place to use the vintage fabric. I have just finished placing my roses and need to add some leaves and greens before I stitch everything into place and start quilting.

2009-07-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

This quilt top is finished and ready to be quilted. The stacks are vintage home dec fabric samples from the 60's that I saved from the trash during the cleanout of a local art space. I added a few contemporary fabrics for the vines and to fill in here and there so I could finish the quilt. This quilt is one of nine quilt tops I have completed in the past three months. I'm waiting to get my longarm quilting machine to tackle the quilting!

Little log cabin framed quilt

2009-07-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

I loved the small framed quilts that I saw at International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh! I had this vintage frame and decided that a log cabin design would be perfect for framing! I am thinking that these little framed quilts would make great Christmas presents this year! Think I'll get started now!

summer nights mini quilt

2009-07-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

Just finished my first mini quilt. I had alot of fun working out the design from ideas I found on the internet and putting the fabrics together. I liked it so much that I made another one in a different color combination that just needs binding. I like to make pin cushions from the small scraps I always have when I finish a quilt. I made this quilt for a swap and just sent it on it's way with the pin cushion!

Maryhill Museum Peacock wallhanging

2009-07-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

During a visit to the Maryhill Museum during the off season we were treated to a private showing at the museum. When we left the grounds were deserted except for several elegant peacocks that made the museum grounds their home year round. They seemed as curious about us as we were about them. They posed willingly for pictures on the side of the gravel driveway near some rocks. I was so impressed with the encounter that I made the photograph into a wall hanging that was juried into the Utah's Hogle Zoo annual art exhibit. I used an openwork lace for the gravel and home decorator fabrics for the detail and body of the peacock along with extensive stitching and rayon threads. The peacock has crystal eyes for the final detail.

End Of Game Pittsburgh Pirates Quilt

2009-07-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

This quilt was three years in the making. It was taken from a photograph that was enlarged to the size of the finished quilt so everything is actually to scale even the players. My daughter and I spent vacations and many evenings working on the quilt when I made trips to Pittsburgh. The quilt was completed in May was was shown at International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh.

"End of Game" wallhanging

2009-07-09T07:52:00.001-07:00

detail of the players that were taken from the enlarged photograph and transfered to fabric. They are actually "to scale" and are the players that were playing at the game the night the photo was taken.

Detail of Pirates quilt

2009-07-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

This is a close-up of the detail on the PNC Park quilt. My daughter made sure that everything was accurate and to scale including the big screen! The spesctators are all small snippets of fabric. The players were taken from the actual photograph at the game, blown up to scale with the quilt and printed on fabric. The players you see on the field are the actual players from the night we were at the game.

The vintage quilt is pieced

2009-07-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

The quilt is pieced! The results remind me of sherbert flavors! Is it the quilt or just the summer heat! I would love a dish of lemon sorbet about now! I added a row of pale yellow rick rack between the quilt and the border blocks to add to the vintage feel. Should be fun to quilt!

Blocks for vintage quilt

2009-07-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

blocks add a star when sewn together. I used a Kaffe Fassett design for the quilt layout. My choice of fabrics has totally changed the look of the original quilt.

piecing the block for my vintage quilt

2009-07-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is the basic block that I used for my vintage quilt. I think the prints work well with the large scale floral print.

finding fabrics for vintage print

2009-07-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

I had a great time looking for fabrics to use with my large vintage orange and pink print. They say everything comes back in style again if you keep it long enough! It's definitely true with this vintage cottong from the 70's. I had an unbelievable choice of fabrics to work with this fun print. next posting will be the finished quilt top.

vintage fabric find

2009-07-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

I found this great 70's print in my stash. All of these colors are hot again now and should be fun in a quilt or wall hanging. Can't wait to shop for fat quarters to add with other vintage fabrics to pull it all together. will post blocks tomorrow. I have been looking at this piece for years, now I know just what to do with it!

70's vintage fabric inspires contemporary quilt

2009-07-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have a great vintage piece of fabric from the 70's with oranges, pinks and mustard greens and greenish yellow. It looks great cut into these 9 1/2 inch blocks. It will be fun finding fat quarters and other vintage fabrics to work with this print. Quilt blocks will post tomorrow.

Rayons make elegant pieced quilt

2009-06-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

We all take the challenge of using what we have in our stash each time we begin a project. I have LOTS of rayons. The colorations are unique, the texture is soft and the result was quite interesting. this quilt is pieced but still needs quilting. The quilting will be a challenge because of the soft drape of the quilt but I think it will be worth it.