My $#%^$#@##%..Ahem new Kitchen window valance.

It was fun and quite easy to piece together and I was pleased with the color gradations and the chili peppers.  Ok, the piecing is not perfect, but I liked it.  I was dreading the day when I would have to free motion it because my Husky Varmit does not like to free motion.  I wanted it quilted very densley so it would hold it's shape so I did triangles with straight lines in it very close together.  This piece is 112 inches long and I knew it was going to take a while.  The pebbling around the chili peppers looked OK until I turned it over and looked at the back...OUCH...not just loose tension, but no tension at all! I could pull the bobbin thread out very easily...so OK it was not hard to rip it out readjust the tension, and do that part again. But when I started the red pieces, my thread would break about every 10 inches or so, or it would shred.  I discussed it with one sister (God bless her for listening to me whine) and she and I did some research.  I took all suggestions to heart and tried to implement them...nothing helped.  Finally I was resigned to quilting about 10 inches at a time...grrrrrr....3.... frustrating...., slow.... days later I realized that most of the thread breaks were happening when I would sew backwards. Going forwards and sideways was not so much of a problem so, I adjusted my quilt while stitching to go either forward or sideways.  That went a little faster. 

So I posted a picture on the 'sister' blog and Janie called me and said she was researching my problem (she also has a designer 1 machine) and she came across an obscure .pdf file that mentioned a 'freemotion' button.  Huh? whasat? There is a free motion BUTTON? I went out to the studio, while she stayed on the computer to read line by line how to find this unkown button....and low and behold...we found it! Burried somewhere in the 'set' tab, there is indeed a FREE MOTION BUTTON!  The black scrap below is one that I did right after getting off the phone.  In all that swirling and going back and forth, NOT ONE THREAD BREAK! 

THANKS JANIE!

My New Mantle

 Ted and I worked all weekend to get this mantle and a spice cabinet installed (I've been working on the pieces for about 2 weeks).  It's not a pro job, but I am happy with it....  We are not finished with the cabinet yet.  Will post that when we are finished... I ran into some technical difficulties...


It's made of the cheapest grade of lumber, so it's kind of rough....4 coats of paint and a lot of sanding helped but did not hide all the flaws...




close up of edging that I added...It was a challenge to get it to conform to the curve....



We still have the 'hole in the wall' above the fireplace.  I hung the painting on a piano hinge so that i can still open  it and use it for storage of stuff that should probably be thrown out...

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