My old chair made new...

I have posted this chair in other places to get feedback from others and the feedback has been great!

This is just a little 'behind the scenes' detail.

I bought 2 of these good quality chairs off Craig's list for $75. The upholstery was in poor shape but padding, springs and frame were outstanding.  The first one that I re-upholstered took over a month to just get it stripped down, staples removed, and back and arms dismantled.  The chair was easy to upholster once all that was done and it turned out quite nice (pics on another post in this blog). 

I have waited over a year to tackle the 2nd chair because I did not want to dismantle another one.... So I didn't dismantle it.. Bad decision!

The fabric that I used was also a bad decision...proof that 2 bad decisions do not make a good one!...did I quote that right? anyway...

I just decided not to remove the old and just 'cover it up'...

The vinyl suede would not slide over the old fabric...everything had to be tugged and yanked and pulled.  (In case you did not know this, if you grab a piece of vinyl fabric with a pair of plyers and yank on it... it rips...quite badly...)

Also, if you staple it, then have to remove the staples because the fabric needed tightening up a bit, the staple holes do not go away, plus it gives a dotted line for the fabric to tear on when you try to pull it tight.  nuff said... I was not particularly pleased with the results of my chair.

It looks OK from a distance..

 I felt a need to cover up my cover up...so to speak.

So, I made a little quiltlet cover up (a cover up to cover a cover up to cover a cover up)?

It does not hide the flaws in the upholstery job, but provides a focal point so that they are not quite so noticeable.   I backed the quiltlet with polar fleece so that it would cling to the suede fabric and not keep sliding off.  so far it has stayed put.

 This is a close up of the quiltlet.  I did not have a pattern, I just winged it with some scraps of fat quarters that were in my stash.  All in all, I am liking it now..

quilted purses

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here for the last couple of weeks! I've been busy working on a pattern for purses.  My idea is that I would like to have a purse inside a purse. Sort of like Purse Underware....One purse has all your stuff and can be lifted out and put directly into another purse in the blink of an eye.  Makes it easy to change purses, and to keep keys, cell phone and sunglasses close at hand and within easy reach.
Let me know what you think!

Portable purse that fits inside the others...



Front of Pink purse

inside of portable purse..

Brown purse

Ipad fits in pocket!

I love the orange lining...

Poppy purse...

Gold lining with portable purse inside...

All purses with portable purse.

Small Net Book Computer fits in all purses.

Portable purse slides in and our of all purses easily.

God Bless Sisters!

Janie is my new organizational goddess!

I will not only be able to get all my quilting fabrics out of the closet, but I will be able to see exactly what is in my stash BEFORE I shop! I can pull out a fabric or put it back without disturbing the others.   A friend gave Ted this beat up ol' file cabinet, I got out my trusty dusty spray paint...and VIOLA!!!

I've been thinking....

    I was blessed by being born into a very large family. Three sisters and two brothers.  Everyone in my family is an artist. I know that if any of them reads this post, there will be a snort of derision over that statement. 
    I was talking to a total stranger the other day in a fabric store.  She overheard me talking about making hand dyed fabric and 'landscape' quilting and asked me if I were a 'fiber artist'.  I, of course, said "No way! I just play at being one!"  Ever since that conversation, I've been thinking about what it means to be an artist....
   What is the definition of art?  To my mind it is simply any creation that causes the viewer to react in some way, or feel something.    Whether that feeling is dismay, fear, joy, or any of a myriad of things....doesn't matter...it created a feeling in you or someone else and expanded your horizons in some way.
     When one gets into a frenzy of cleaning the house and ends up rearranging the furniture...that is your inner artist at work.  Don't you wait for someone (hubby, child, sister, mom) to come in and react to what you have created?  When you have made something.... a dress, a quilt, a scrapbook page, a sparking clean house, you are an artist!
     Would I admit to anyone today that I am a "fiber artist"? No way!  That would be embarrassing and I don't have to tell everyone everything I know....
    Now, I'm off to finish a work of art!

QUILTS OF 2010


 This post is for me.  As I began this new year, I was thinking of how many projects I wanted to do.  I got a late start in 2010 and didn't get as much done as I 'should' have.  Then I started going though the photos of  projects that I have done this year and was really shocked at how many quilts I had actually completed.

My first attempt at quilting in many years! I wanted a kitchen tablecloth that would protect my table.  A Kaliedescope filled the bill...I did not feel confident about quilting it (my first attempt at free motion quilting, so.....




I took some left over hexagons, appliqued them to an old pillowcase and practiced free motion quilting on it before I quilted the tablecloth.




This one was done for Ted's mom on Mother's Day.




This covers the fuse box in my Studio.  Made from leftovers from Ann's Quilt




Another Mother's Day quilt. This one for my Mom to put over the bed in her guest room.



From the first TBASSS a tablecloth for Granny!



I did not actually quilt this one.  It covers a window in my stairwell that gets a lot of light.  My first attempt at dying my own fabrics!




I call this one 'Sparkling Garden'  It hangs in my office and I often look up and see something in it that I had not noticed before.  That is the facinating thing about kaleidesope quilts!




Close up of Sparkling Garden




This was when I was designing the above quilt.  trying out different arrangements.




Another attempt to hand dye fabric,  These were made to use in a session of TBASSS (The Broke Ass Sisters Sewing Soiree).




some of the brighter colors...




The finished quilt from the fabrics that I dyed.  I have some that I did not use so I can do another one!




ANOTHER kaliedescope quilt? Yup... Except this time I went really crazy...I just kept buying fabrics for this quilt that I wanted to put on my couch......



I had to use up some of the fabrics so I log cabin pieced the back of the quilt......



Then I decided to cover the pillows on the couch... just so it would all coodinate.....




It makes a very nice bed!



The couch in daytime...



I couldn't quit... I was on a roll.... I covered the arms of the couch....




Made a little caddy for the remotes... and of course my glasses needed a home....




I did the free motion quilting stippling in a very small configuration.  and made sure I covered every joint of every hexagon!




Close up of pillows



The Green HIlls of Ireland

My sisters and I got together one week in October to see if we could make landscape quilts. That is we all got together, but only Charlotte and I worked on landscapes. Janie had did some really cute quilted Hum-bug bags and Margi had a big craft show coming up and needed to continue to work on that. Below is the quilt that I made. It is vaguely based on a photo of County Galway in Ireland. I have never been to Ireland but have always wanted to go there. This may be the closest I will ever get....
I used almost all hand dyed fabrics that I dyed using acrylic colors in my microwave oven. I wet the fabric, squirted paint on it, then squished it around with my hands (wearing rubber gloves, of course), wrapped rubber bands around it, squirted some more watered down paint on it, stuck it in the microwave to get really hot, then set it outside to dry. The hardest part was waiting for it to dry.....
These are my brightest colors....

My mediums....

and a stack of all the hand dyed fabrics. I did not use all of them, obviously...so.... I see another landscape quilt in my future.....

This is the first night at Charlottes house... Larry took the photo of all of us. Janie and I were exhausted from the drive (9 hours) but were so glad to be there we perked right up and sat there talking until late...

The girls are ready to go shopping....We hit Jo Ann fabrics first thing in the morning!

Looks like we are checking our wallets....hmmmm maybe not...

Shop, shop, shop....sew many fabrics...sew little time....

What were they thinking when they designed this one?????? ewe....

Granny found a good one! Go Granny!

shop, shop, shop.....

Lord.... Make me a bird... but not on my fabric....

And we end our shopping with a little (fuzzy) holiday inspriation.... sorry I made you fuzzy Margie... I had a wrong setting on my camera....my bad...

And last but not least....Voila! Granny Bell! Aint she cute?