Patchwork in Paradise

Modern Quilt Challenge

2012-02-02T20:01:00.001-08:00

I've decided to enter a Modern Mini Quilt Challenge. I'm really excited and the amazing prizes are only half of it. The blog hop that is being hosted looks to have some amazing inspiration from some of the premier modern quilters out there.

Secret Santa

2011-11-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have a list a mile long to get done between now and mid-December. But I couldn't resist signing up for Shawnee's Secret Santa Swap!

This is what I have to come up with by December 7th at the latest - for someone I do not know:

At LEAST One Handmade Item

Something to Read (book, magazine, poem)

Something for the Tree (garland, ornament, topper, skirt)

Holiday Goody (candy, cocoa, tea, coffee, chocolate)

Challenge: Include one gift for each letter needed to spell out a word from the season (SNOW, JOY, FAITH, LOVE, HOPE, GIFT, TREE, JESUS, STAR, SANTA, etc). We did this last year and it was SO MUCH FUN! Of course, the perfect gift for an "A" is an APRON.

Then, make this a special box -- gift wrapping, bows, the whole nine yards! Include a note identifying yourself with your email and blog address so your partner can contact you with her grateful thanks.

I'm excited to put something fun together and excited to see what I get in return. Below is the questionnaire I had to fill out.

What are your hobbies? Quilting
What are your favorite colors? I love most everything except purple and pastel colors. More of bold/bright or natural is my thing.
Do you collect anything? no, other than fabric and patterns, lol.
Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? no
Do you have any pets? 2 cats
Coffee, Tea, or Chocolate? tea (mint) and chocolate
What do you like to read? anything good that isn't too heavy/dark/disturbing. historical fiction and some sci-fi fantasy if it isn't too weird. I also love quilting/sewing project books. I have a wish list on the sidebar of my blog.
Do you prefer Cookies or Candies as a sweet? either - I have a major sweet tooth. dark chocolate over milk and white for sure
What is your favorite holiday treat? All of them. I love brittle, but it's too hard on my teeth.
Describe your favorite holiday tradition. the first Christmas we were married hubby and I got each other an ornament. We've done it every year since (this will be our 12th) and now we include getting one for each of our boys. I love unwrapping them every year and looking at what we've given each other. Some years they have to do with something from that year - a trip or something special from the year. I love the idea that in 50 years we'll have a tree filled with gifts to one another.
Did you believe in Santa as a child? yes
When do you open presents? Christmas morning
Do you put up a tree and when? If not, how do you celebrate? yes, first weekend in December
Does your tree have a theme? no - it's a total hodge podge, but most ornaments have a story
What has been your favorite gift to give? to receive? I can't think of anything specific. to give - I love to give homemade gifts. to receive - anything that took some thought - oh and fabric!

My Dream Sewing Room and a few other things....

2011-10-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a year since my last entry. Lame, I know. But we've been busy. Cory completed his PhD and we moved from Hawaii to Idaho where he got a job as a professor at ISU. While I miss many things about paradise, there is a lot to enjoy in Idaho. Like the fact that we were able to finally buy a home. And not just any home, this one came with a 13'x21' unfinished workshop that makes an AMAZING sewing room! While I day dream about finishing it someday with a ceiling and flooring and french doors into the adjacent family room, it works perfectly for now. It is huge and came with shelving and built in counters that are the perfect height for sewing and cutting. I absolutely love this space.

Since this photo was taken, I moved my two spare machines and made the area on the left a perfect kid craft area for Leif. And that back wall is where I eventually want to put French doors into the family room. For now, while he still has a lot of house projects going, Cory is using it as his workshop space. Which works fine for me. I have plenty of space in the rest of the room.

I've also joined the Port Neuf Valley Quilt Guild and enjoy my once a month guild meetings. They do a quilt show in the Spring and also a retreat, both of which I am looking forward to. While there aren't any quilters in my age group, it's fun and I know I can learn a lot from these amazing quilters.

I'm doing a monthly friendship block swap with the guild and I also signed up for my first online swap with the Flirty Apron - Fall Table Runners. I also just completed a Facebook Pay it Forward type swap that I signed up for several months ago - we had till the end of the year to complete our swap. So, while I have yet to find any sewing buddies here, I'm enjoying this swapping and hope to do more.

My Fall table runner for the Flirty Apron Swap. Since this photo was taken I have quilted it, just have to bind it and get it in the mail on Saturday.

These are bookmarks I made for my Facebook Pay it Forward Handmade Gift Swap. I used my oh so talented friend Shelley's tutorial. I did 6 sets of 3 bookmarks and sent them off to my friends in HI, WA, ID and Germany. I am going to start another similar swap for 2012.

I have a pile of projects to complete right now - curtains for the kitchen, our bedroom and Kian's room, a surfboard wall hanging for Kian's room, a duvet cover for our room, a huge pile of pillow cases and a slug and an elephant for cousin Christmas presents and a diaper bag and baby quilt. My goal is to have all that done by the end of the year. Unrealistic, but I'm at least hoping to get the curtains and Christmas presents done.

I have decided to keep my name of Patchwork in Paradise. While I no longer reside in the phenomenal state of Hawaii, I will always carry paradise with me wherever I go. So Aloha for now, all pau ( I must go bind that runner.)

I'm Back....

2010-08-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

So my last blog entry was in December. Bad, I know. I've been a little busy. The holidays, Leif's birthday being mega-pregnant, having a baby, having a 1 month a old, a 2 month old.... you get the picture. But Kian is now almost 5 months old and things are pretty settled, or as settled as can be with a 3 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. I have a ton of projects to post (some from before the baby and some since - yes, I've actually managed to get some sewing done.) So, I am going to spend this week getting caught up, if I can.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a.....

2009-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Caped Super Hero!

I recently completed 4 capes for Leif's best buddies - two for superheros and two for princesses.

My original attempt looked an awful lot like a Dracula cape so, the night before the party, I scrapped it and started over using a combination of these two tutorials. I was so pleased with the results that I made the two princess ones a week later. And shhh....Leif will be getting one (superhero, not princess) for Christmas this year. Let's just hope it goes over better than the Kermit costume!

One for Ray.

And one for Ronan. Both were lined with blue.

Super Ray! Ro wasn't interested in wearing his at the party, but that's ok - there was a lot going on!

And for the two Princesses, I did flower wands with sparkly button centers and ribbons hanging down. Azure had to have purple, of course, with butterflies inside and I did a pretty pink with sweet peas inside for Julia.

For Princess Azure.

For Princess Julia.

Two pretty, pretty princesses.

Ahhhh, the Craft Fair!

2009-11-01T17:37:00.001-08:00

Let it be known to one and all that I will never be a professional crafter! I recently participated in a Honolulu Mommies Craft Fair (in conjunction with our annual Halloween Party.) It was a lot of work and I learned that once you take something that you enjoy and do it for work, that's what it becomes: work. I learned a lot and am happy with what I was able to sell (I made enough money to be able to make Baby Boo a few quilts), but it is not something I will repeat. It was fun to work with my friends when we would get together to work on our goods and it was so fun to see what everyone created, but the fair itself was a bit of a let down. I won't go into details of why, but in the end it wasn't what any of us wanted it to be. That's ok.

I made I Spy Bags, Trick or Treat Bags and Crayon Pouches. Here are a few photos of my table.

I Spy Bags (and no, I won't make one for you!
They were a pain in the booty to make.
If you really want one, Etsy has lots to choose from, lol!)

Trick or Treat Bags

Crayon Pouches - some with elastic and some with ribbon.

A Gift for Erin

2009-11-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my plan to make all gifts, I decided to make my dear friend Erin something for her birthday. The only problem was I had no idea what to make that she would use or appreciate. She recently started a Stroller Strides program and our friend Bethany suggested I make a water bottle holder. I found a great little tutorial and whipped one up for her. The bottle and caribiner were supplied by our other friend Lauren, and wallah!: a perfect gift.

The inside is green felt and it has a thin layer of batting in between
the outside fabric and the lining. Per the tutorial, I quickly quilted some
lines in a variety of thread colors to spruce it up a bit.

It is a snug fit, but I think it turned out really good.
The tutorial was very simple and easy to follow.

Let's Go Racin', Boys!

2009-11-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

Several months ago my friend Sharon shared a link to a tutorial for a lap-sized race track. I knew I wanted to make at least one. It took me a while to get around to it, but thanks to some super cute race car fabric that was part of an amazing stash of fabric I inherited, I finally made not one, not two, but three race tracks recently. One was for Leif's buddy Max's birthday, another was for his friend Rayan's birthday and the third one was for Leif -finally. Sharon had given me a head's up that the tutorial was junk, so I didn't follow it at all and just went for it on my own after looking at the photos. I was very pleased with the results. Not sure if Max and Rayan love theirs, but Leif plays with his at home, on his lap in the car, at the doctor's office....

Here are a few shots:With the cars in the pockets. Leif's has 4 pockets large enough for 2 cars each.
The other 2 I did, had 5 pockets, but only room for 1 car each.

Here's a shot of the big race!

Close-up of the track and the handles.

A Kermit that Never was....

2009-11-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

Leif was supposed to be a super hero for Halloween. Or a pirate. But 2 weeks ago he announced that he would be Kermit the Frog. No idea where that idea came from, but it stuck. For days he would ask me where his green frog suit was. He was so excited about it. He and daddy would look at pictures and videos of Kermit and the Muppets on the computer. We taught him to say, "It's not easy being green." And then I finally came up with a plan and a vision of how to create a homemade toddler Kermit costume. It took me a couple of days to finish, but it turned out great. I was so proud of myself.

And he wouldn't wear it. It was "too scary" he said. The closest we got was the hat for a little while on a couple of occasions.

So, here is the Kermit suit that wasn't meant to be. Oh and what did he end up wearing to the big party and Trick or Treating? His ghost suit from last year!

One of very few shots of him actually wearing the hat.

At our neighbor's costume party.
Mom was Miss Piggy, Dad was Animal and Leif was Kermit - sort of.

I AM A QUILTER

2009-10-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am a quilter, I am a quilter, I am a quilter. This is my new mantra. I have been so focused on non-quilt projects that I feel I have lost my quilter identity!

No photos this post but I have some updates on what I have been working on:

~Craft Fair projects are DONE! For the past 2 or 3 months I have been working (albeit slowly) on several items for a small Honolulu Mommies Craft Fair. I made 15 Crayon Pouches, 14 I Spy Bags and 12 Trick or Treat Bags. In addition, I cut 200+ pennants for some banners/decorations for the Craft Fair/Halloween Party.

~Birthday Gifts. Yes, I have been true to my goal of making all gifts. This goal was made in August and so far I have made 12 toddler birthday gifts and 1 birthday gift for Cory. Photos of some of them will be up soon. I made: 3 Crayon Pouches, 1 Colored Pencil Pouch, 1 Monster, 1 Bag of Jelly Beans, 1 Backpack of Jelly Beans, 2 Race Tracks, and 3 I Spy Bags. For Cory I made a fabric Accordian Album with photos of him and Leif. It's not quite done, but will be by tomorrow, I hope. I also have 2 Super Hero Capes in the works.

~Not to leave poor Leif boy out, I just finished a Race Track for him and I have a Super Hero Cape in the works and Jelly Bean Bags, too. The cape will be done in a week or two and the Jelly Beans, who knows? It's ok, though, I think he has forgotten about them.

Side note: the race tracks are seriously super cool and I can't wait to post photos. I am over-the-top thrilled with how they turned out. And I just looked at some photos of one, didn't use a real pattern or tutorial. Can you tell I'm pleased with myself?

~I have started early on Christmas this year and have completed one Pa'u (Hawaiian hula skirt) for my niece Sophie and have one more to make for my niece Dorothy.

~ Haven't started it yet, but Leif is insisting on being Kermit the Frog for Halloween. No idea where that came from, but tomorrow I am on the hunt for a green hoody so I can get his costume done by next Wednesday.

So that may give you all a clue as to why I'm not feeling like much of a quilter these days. But, I did finish the stipling on the "Strip Off" quilt I am working on and have started quilting the inner blocks. Cory would be thrilled if I could get that done before I start anything else. But, alas, I have to start on two adorable quilts for my friend Tiffany's two little boys. They are leaving the island in December so I must get cracking. And then there's Christmas gifts to make and since I am expecting another boy in March I will very busy with quilts and such for him.

One quilting related item, though - I did attend a sewing workshop yesterday for Comfort Quilts. These quilts are made for the children of deployed soldiers. The project is sponsored by the YMCA and is all done with donations and volunteers. I really enjoyed myself - hanging out with quilters was super cool, especially since it has been so long - and I hope to make it to all their monthly workshops.

Well, that's about it. I promise to post some photos soon.

Bag of Jelly Beans

2009-09-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Our little friend Lilea just had her first birthday and since I am attempting to make all gifts right now, I decided to make her a bag of Jelly Beans. I got the idea from the Purl Bee and used their tutorial for the beans and the super cute, gussetted drawstring bag.

I thought they turned out great. I also made a second set and instead of a drawstring bag made a little backpack. This set is for our other friend Makaela who is having her 2nd birthday in a few weeks. I have a set to make for Leif as well.

So, I am doing pretty good with all the gift making, for now at least. We have about a million birthdays the next several months, so I am up to my ears in crayon pouches and I Spy Bags. Not to mention the fact that I am preparing a modest inventory for a holiday craft fair next month. Quilting, is that what I do? Oh I forgot. I've been so sidetracked by all the other projects...

Birthday Gifts

2009-08-02T12:13:00.001-07:00

With the state of things at the moment, I have decided to make gifts as much as possible. We had three birthdays this weekend, so I had a lot of work to do. I made a monster and these cute little gifts for two of our neighborhood friends.

An I Spy Bag for Cailynn's first birthday:
My mom made one for Leif's first Christmas and although he wasn't really into it at the time, he really enjoys playing with it now and it makes it into the chruch bag of quiet toys every week. So, using the one we had as a guide, I made this one for Cailynn. I was able to find enough little things just around the house and had some leftover ladybug flannel and red felt for the front and back. For the plastic windows, I cut the back off a view binder and used that.

A Colored Pencil Pouch for Carissa:
I was able to use fabric and ribbon from my stash and just had to get a pack of pencils. I was going to include a coloring book, but wasn't happy with the selection at the store, so I skipped that. The pockets for the pencils are large enough to accommodate one or two pencils. I also embroidered her name on a piece of yellow felt and attached that to the ribbon, but forgot to take a picture of that before we gave her the gift last night. Oops. But trust me, it looked really cute.

Might Be A Monster....

2009-08-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

"Might be a monster..." This is what Leif says whenever I ask if he knows who did something. For example:
Mom: "Leif, do you know who dumped out all these blocks and didn't pick them up?"
Leif: "Might be a monster, mama."

So anyway, this little creature I just made for our friend Belle's first birthday might be a monster. I used a pattern from Revoluzza, which a fellow Honolulu Mommy, Sharon, had shared with me several months ago. I think she turned out pretty cute, but the next ones I make will be a bit bigger I think. And I think she looks a little owl-ish. But that has inspired me to try to make one that is, in fact, an owl.

A little monster tooth.

Brown satin bow and polka dot pants.

And a little heart heart on her bum.

For big sister Sofia

2009-06-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

Since baby Charlie was getting all kinds of fun stuff in the mail (see previous post) I couldn't forget about his big sister Sofia. So I made her a little ladybug crayon pouch.

For Charlie

2009-06-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Tish is about to have her second baby - like next Monday I believe. His name is Charlie and I'm sure he is going to be just the cutest, sweetest little thing in the world (taking after his sister Sofia, of course.) Anyway, Tish lives in San Diego and she is decorating Chrlie's room in retro cowboy style. I, of course, wanted to contribute to the decor, so she sent me some fabric and I whipped up a couple of things for him. They are in the mail and hopefully will arrive before Charlie does.

I made a "bunting." So I had no idea that is what these pennant banner things were called. But after much perusing of the world wide web, I found myself very well educated on the various types and construction methods of buntings. Who knew there were so many possibilities or that they were so popular these days? I had seen them in a few magazines and blogs, but it wasn't until my friend Shelley blogged about the one she made for her niece's wedding that I felt truly inspired. Then, my friend Lauren sent me a link for one she found and thought it was a project I might like to try. She was right! When I found out Tish was doing the cowboy theme, I thought this would be perfect. And now that I have a machine does does applique - bingo!

This was a super fun project to put together and I now have mounds of ideas floating in my head for more to do in the future. For this one I used red, denim and cow print for the background and yellow felt letters (which I printed from my computer and cut out and traced on the felt) which I appliqued with yellow thread and finished it with yellow double fold bias tape. I didn't use any interfacing or batting and they seemed to be heavy enough without it. There are definitley a few things I will do different the next time - like appliqueing the letters before sewing the front and backs of the trianlges together. Here are a couple of close-ups:

Since I had some leftover fabric I couldn't resist making one more thing. I asked Tish if she wanted a wall hanging or a decorative pillow. She chose a pillow, so I did this one with denim and red on the front and cow print on the back. It was supposed to be a bit larger, but I had a hard time with my measurements for some reason and kept screwing up until this was the size I was left with. Oh well, still cute. My favorite part is the sheriff's badge with "Deputy Charlie" on it

Now every baby needs a special sofite, right? Leif loved the ones I made for him when he was a baby, so I couldn't resist making one for Charlie. While not in his cowboy theme, I still had a bunch of this cute zoo animal fabric. I put buttery yellow satin on the back and loops of colorful ribbons around the perimeter for him to play with.

Leif's Silly Squares

2009-05-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

"Silly Squares"
Size: 26" x 32"
Pattern: original design
Completed: Fall 2006
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Leif Kalama

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: After I finished Leif's larger baby quilt I had a bunch of scraps of the fabric leftover and decided he needed a small travel quilt as well. For each block, I paired two fabrics and stacked them and cut them and then sewed them up. It was super quick (I think I finished in a couple of days.) This is the quilt I would take with us when we went places and I wanted to lay him down. He never became very attached to it, but every now and again he asks to sleep with it.

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These are close-ups of each of the nine blocks:

Here you can see the green polka dot border and wavey blue and green binding:

A Work In Progress

2009-05-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am almost all caught up on blogging about all my past projects. I just have a few left (and two that I don't have pics of - hint, hint Maggie and Richelle). Once I am finished with the past projects the updates will be scarce, since it usually takes several months (or more) to finish a project. So I will blog about the progress of current projects.

Here is what I am working on right now. It is a lap size quilt that we will be hanging on the wall in our living room (to add some color to the room since we can't paint and just have white walls.) The fabric was a Christmas gift from my in-laws and I LOVE it. It was a Moda Jelly Roll and the pattern is Strip Off by G.E. Designs. I also got a Layer Cake (9" squares) of the same line of fabric and will be making a coordinating throw for the couch and with the scraps I am going to recover our couch throw pillows. I think it will look pretty good when it's all put together. In the meantime, here is a peek at the project.

The Golden Rectangle

2009-05-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Please bear with me through this little lesson in mathematics. It is quilt-related, I promise.

From Wikipedia: "A golden rectangle is a rectangle whose side lengths are in the golden ratio, 1-to-phi, that is, or approximately 1:1.618. A distinctive feature of this shape is that when a square section is removed, the remainder is another golden rectangle; that is, with the same proportions as the first. Square removal can be repeated infinitely, in which case corresponding corners of the squares form an infinite sequence of points on the golden spiral, the unique logarithmic spiral with this property."

It can be seen in nature: The Nautilus Shell

In art: The Mona Lisa

In ancient architecture: The Parthenon

The Golden Spiral and Golden Rectangle are also found in galaxies, sunflowers, pineapples and in the human body. Pretty amazing.

And now it is found in our computer/sewing room:

"Cory's Golden Rectangle"

Size: 36" x 24"

Pattern: The Golden Rectangle

Completed: October 2008

Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Cory Bennett

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: Cory is a mathematics teacher and loves math (he reads books about math for fun.)Back before I even finished my first quilt he told me he would like a golden rectangle quilt. I never forgot that and this past October I finally got around to making one for him. I used batkis - his favorite type of fabric - and did a very tight quilting in each square. Then I quilted the golden spiral (which I had to have him chalk out for me) in a gold thread. It doesn't show up quite as much as I wanted and due to the tight quilting the quilt doesn't hang very flat, but he loves it and I enjoyed doing something very different.

Here you can see the individual squares, the quilting, and a bit of the Golden Spiral.

Here you can see how the two smaller squares paired with the larger square make a Golden Rectangle.

A close-up of the quilting in the largest square.

Bits of Blue and Green

2009-05-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

"Leif’s Quilt"
Size: 42" x 50"
Pattern: Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt
Completed: Fall 2006
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Leif Kalama

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: This is the quilt I made for Leif while I was pregnant. I saw a picture of a beautiful quilt by Denyse Schmidt in an ad in one of my quilting mags and knew that was what I wanted to make for the baby. Cory and I chose the fabrics together at Kaimuki Dry Goods in town. It was somewhat difficult because we had to pick a ton a fabric. But it was fun, too. We ended up with a bunch of mostly blues and greens and threw in a duckie and frog and cars with surfboards. There is definitely an island feel to some the fabrics which goes perfectly in his room. I modified the pattern slightly and cut all the pieces straight instead of not straight as indicated in the pattern. It definitely doesn't look as well organized or cohesive as the original in the picture, but we love it. And Leif knows I made it for him and that's the most important thing. I backed it with a light green on green polka dot flannel and bound it with the blue and green wavey fabric. The only problem? Leif hates blankets and has refused to sleep with it. Hence, why it is hanging on the wall. Oh well!

A Koi Little Bag

2009-05-02T16:03:00.001-07:00

This is a Monk's Bag I finished last night as a sample for the next mommies sewing project at the end of May. I have posted before about these "classes." They are free and at my house - which gives me an excuse to mop the entire house once a month! It's just a few (6-8) of my mommy friends from Honolulu Mommies who want to learn to sew. We pick a simple project and spend about 4 hours working on it. This will be the most ambitious project our group has tackled and may take two gatherings to complete.
I found this project at The Purl Bee. They have a great tutorial and it was pretty simple to put together. The fabric came from my stash - the Koi is leftover from a table runner I made a few years ago and the blue is leftover from Leif's baby quilt. I did make the straps a bit narrower than the pattern indicated to accomodate my smaller size and used just two fabrics instead of three. I am very pleased with how it turned out and have already started a second one.

A close-up of the blue Koi.

Here you can see the inside lining of the handles.

Here is the interior pocket.

Butterfly Bliss

2009-05-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

"Butterfly Bliss"
Size: 37" x 37"

Pattern: original design using 9" Snowball Blocks

Completed: April 2009

Made in: Hawaii
Machine pieced and quilted on a Janome 6600

Given to: Mary Hirose for baby Jacquelyn

The story: I just finished this baby quilt for my friend Mary - well for her baby Jacquelyn, who will be arriving in a few short weeks. Mary's husband Keaka does not like pink, so I chose to use purple for the sashing and binding. The blocks are 9" Snowballs with triangles of bright flowers in the corners. I used a pink and purple tulip fabric for the backing. This was a fun quilt to make and I think she really liked it. The best part was the binding, which went on like a dream once I figured out I had to adjust my needle position when using my 1/4" Accufeed foot. Oh the joy of learning a new machine!

The butterfly block. The other blocks were just a mottled print of the same colors, but no butterflies.

A close-up of the quilting and the corner triangle.

A close-up of the butterfly cornerstone. I had to fussy-cut to get 4 good butterflies.

Rock Around the Block

2009-04-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

"Fall Rocks"
Size: 61" x 70"
Pattern: Rock Around the Block by Beth Little
Completed: Early 2005
Made in: Bellingham, WA
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
This quilt lives in our living room.
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The story: This quilt doesn't go with anything in my house, and it is backed in flannel. Not very practical in Hawaii, but I still love it. Back in the day when I was working and was able to just buy random fabric that caught my eye, I came across this bundle of fat quartes (probably 6 or 8 of them) that I loved. If I remember correctly it was at a little shop on the southern tip of Whidbey Island. I had no idea what to do with them but I couldn't resist the rich rusty-reds and oranges and deep greens and how they all looked together. A month or so later I came across the Rock Around the Block pattern at Fourth Corner Quilts in B'ham. Now, a word on the pattern - the picture of the quilt on the pattern is UGLY. I would never have looked at it twice, but on the wall was a completed one in some gorgeous colors and that's what struck my fancy. I brought the pattern home and Cory cold not get past the hideous picture. I told him to just trust me! I think I had to eventually take him to the shop to see the one on the wall before he would believe me that it was cool. Anyway, the pattern called for 14 fat quarters so I had to add to what I had in the bundle previously purchased. It was a pretty easy quilt to put together. I added a triple border, backed it in a flannel of Fall leaves (little did I know I would be moving to Hawaii in a few short months), and bound it with an orange and brown basket-weave print. I just quilted it in the ditch. I will definitely make this quilt again, regardless of how ugly the pattern is!

A close-up of some of the fabrics.

You can see the backing. I really wish my camera took better close-ups!

Here you can see the triple border and the binding.

Scrappy Stars

2009-04-28T18:18:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of Fourth Corner Quilts, Bellingham, WA

"Scrappy Stars"
Size: 60" x 70"
Pattern: Catch a Scrappy Star Class at Fourth Corner Quilts, taught by Natalie
Completed: January 2005
Made in: Bellingham, WA
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
This quilt now lives on the back of our couch.
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The story: This crazy quilt is yet another product of a wonderful class at Fourth Corner Quilts in Bellingham, WA. When I was choosing the fabric for this project I started with this gorgeous Asian print and tried to find other pieces that matched all the beautiful colors in it. I loved the Asian print so much I used it for the cornerstones as well. I added a double border and backed it with a purple swirl on white. The piecing technique for this was pretty wild. We had 9 fat quarters - 3 light, 3 medium and 3 dark - and we stacked them and cut through all nine layers. Then shuffled the layers and sewed the pieces together. Then made the next cut, shuffled and sewed. And so on until we had made five cuts. It was pretty amazing how it all came out. For the quilting, I just stitched in the ditch around the stars and the sashing and between each border. Here are some additional pics I just took today and some from the last 2 years. You can see how much it has faded from the original photo up top taken in January 2005 (and I look super young, too! Time flies!)

The print I started with.

I know I recognize that Daddy and that quilt, but not so sure about that baby! Can that really be Leif Kalama?

There's the Leif I know! Eating chocolate ice cream on mommy's Scrappy Stars!

And there he is eating, again!

Something Girlie

2009-04-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

"Flowers for Fiona"
Size: 41" x 50 1/2"

Pattern: Yellow Brick Road by Atkinson Designs

Completed: April 2009

Made in: Hawaii
Machine pieced and quilted on a Janome 6600

Given to: Erin Giaretto for baby Fiona
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The story: I just finished this one today. It is for my dear friend, Erin who is about a month away from welcoming baby Fiona to the world. Erin is Ronan's mum (Ro and Leif are best little buddies and have been since they were about 7 months old.) As soon as Erin announced her pregnancy I knew I would want to make her a sweet, girlie quilt. Erin picked the shabby chic look for Fiona's nursery and loaned me the crib bumper to take to the fabric store. I had a lot of fun selecting the fabric for this quilt - well as much fun as one can have fabric shopping with a two yeard old in tow - "No fabric store, Mama!" After one or two misses with the fabric selection I ended up with a pretty good balance of lights and darks and greens and pinks. I chose the pattern "Yellow Brick Road" by Atkinson Designs for this because I thought the it lent itself well to the shabby chic look. I had previously made this pattern two other times and it is quick and fun. I machine quilted it with a wave stitch every 2" all the way to the center and machine bound it with the green and pink stripe that I also used for the backing. I can't wait to see how it looks in the nursery!

Here are a few more pics:

Here you can see some of the three different blocks.

You can sort of see the quilting in the dark green.

Here you can see the backing and the binding.

The Old vs. The New

2009-04-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

This post is long and probably not very interesting to anyone but me. Sorry!
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Now that I finally completed a quilt on my new machine I decided it was time to blog about it. But first, you need an idea of where I was coming from. I learned how to sew on my mom's Singer. Then, when I was 19, my mom got me my first sewing machine for Christmas - a Pfaff Hobby 301. Little did I know then what I would eventually accomplish on that machine. I dabbled in various projects over the years - mostly curtains and pillows and other things that involved straight lines. I did make a bridesmaid dress or two. But mostly it sat. Then when I started quilting in 2004 it started getting some heavy use. I had it serviced for the first time and started changing my needles regularly. I'm sure someone must have told me along the way to change my needles, but apparently I wasn't listening. I was under the impression that you only changed a needle when it broke. Oops! Needless to say, my machine's performance improved dramatically once I learned that little trick.

Anyway, once I started taking quilting classes I saw a lot of different machines in use. Mine was definitely one of the most basic. It's mechanical, not computerized and has the option of a straight stich and ziz-zag. It has a standard neck opening and cruises along pretty well (when it has a good needle). I did purchase a walking foot for quilting, but I never invested in a 1/4" foot, so I spent years eye-balling my 1/4" seams (they could have been better.) My proudest moment with that machine was when I quilted a king size quilt on it. When I tell other quilters that I wa able to do that on that little machine, they are impressed. It wasn't easy and involved tightly rolling it just to get it in the neck. I just quilted diagonally across the blocks and a little wave pattern (the closest to free-motion I could get) on the borders. Once I get some decent photos of that quilt I will blog about it, but for now you can see me pinning it in my profile photo.

Between January 2004 and March 2009 I completed 37 quilting projects on my little Pfaff. These projects included 15 wall hangings, 5 table runners, 2 sets of hotpads, 1 set of placemats, 6 baby quilts, 2 mini-quilts, and 6 large (throw-size or bigger) quilts. I also pieced 2 additional throw-size quilt tops that still need to be quilted. After all that work this trusty little machine now lives in the closet. I decided to keep it and it has come in handy as a spare machine when I teach my sewing classes and it will be a great machine to teach a child on. And that's the story of my Pfaff and all that it was able to accomplish. Thanks again, Mom, for a great little machine!

It's so small compared to my new one!

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For the last couple of years I have felt that I had outgrown my Pfaff and knew that an upgrade would be in order at some point. I really didn't know what I wanted and thought another Pfaff would be good. After doing a lot of research and seeing what was out there (and a couple of crappy experiences looking at machines at a local dealer) I started focusing on the Janome 6600. Julia at Fourth Corner Quilts back in Bellingham had become a dealer and she had high praises for it. Then the owner of a local shop here purchased one last summer and I was able to see it in person at her shop. She also had great things to say. After confirming both of their opinions with a ton of reviews by quilters online, I decided that was the machine for me. The only problem - it was about twice as much as I had originally planed to spend. We started a money jar to save up for it, but it would have taken years at the rate we were putting change aside. Luckily we received a pretty hefty tax refund this year and Cory said it was for my machine. In March, we headed downtown to a different dealer who was considerably more knowledgeable and spent a lot of time going over the machine with me. I came home with my new machine and after reading the owner's manual cover to cover, I started sewing on it.

It is a huge step up from my Pfaff - computerized with a ton of stitches, built-in walking foot, needle threader, knee-lift, oh the list goes on and on and it weighs a ton compared to my Pfaff. I was a bit intimidated at first and still have barely scratched the surface of it's capabilities. I quickly learned that free-motion quilting isn't just about the machine, but the operator as well and I have a ways to go before I will be ready to free-motion quilt anything (it's a lot harder than it looks!) Needless to say, this machine will be with me for many, many, many years to come!

Just out of the box. Isn't it pretty? And look at all that space in the neck.

The extension table is so nice!

It sews like a dream and having a 1/4" foot has made my life so much easier!

Zoo Pals for Armando

2009-04-20T18:49:00.001-07:00

"Zoo Pals"
Size: 28 1/2" x 32"
Pattern: original design
Completed: April 2009
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Desiree Diaz for her soon to arrive little one, Armando
Machine pieced and quilted on a Janome 6600
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The Story: Finally a current project to post about! And the first quilt I've completed on my new machine. I just finished this one today and can take it off my list on the sidebar.
I made this for my friend Desiree who is about to have her second little boy. I wanted to do something fun and cuddly. I decided to make a cuddle quilt instead of a full-on quilt. I made a similar one for my friend Richelle's little boy, Casey, several years ago and she said he loved it! (BTW - I still need a pic of that one Richelle - if you're reading this.)
After piecing the top I just sewed the top and the backing right sides together and then turned it right-side out. This meant no batting and no binding. But I felt it needed something on the edge so I used a rainbow verigated thread and an "X" decorative stitch right along the edge. This also closed the opening I had left to turn it right-side out, which means I didn't have to hand sew it closed. Yay! For the quilting I used another decorative stitch just where I joined the strips. See below for close-ups of the edge, the quilting and all the fabrics. The green polka dot fabric is flannel and the rainbow fabric is an ultra-soft brushed cotton. Put it all together and I think it's super cuddly. And the perfect size for snugglng up with momma.

Aloha on the Beach

2009-04-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

"Aloha on the Beach"
Size: 54 1/2" x 76"
Pattern: original design by Cory and Amanda Bennett
Completed: Summer 2006
Made in: Hawaii

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: Shortly after moving to Hawaii in June 2005 we headed to the Swap Meet. Now this swap meet is unlike anything I have ever seen or heard of before. It is mostly all new items and they are definitely geared toward the tourists. It is located around the perimeter of Aloha Stadium where the UH Warriors play football - so it is huge! There is everything from Aloha wear to soaps, crackseed, coconuts, toys, luggage, etc. Pretty much any kind of souvenir anyone would want. We get a fair bit of our clothes there and Cory got his ukulele there and we found a lot of the decor for Leif's room there.

Anyway, they also have, in the shops that sell the clothing, stacks of fabric squares of aloha print fabrics. So on one of our outings to the swap meet we picked out a stack of at least 100 squares. Once I finally got around to do anything with it, Cory helped me layout the squares in this diagonal fade pattern. Then I put in a border of yellow plumeria and a pieced outer border of more of the aloha fabric cut into narrow pieces. The backing is a soft blue hibiscus print that was originally intended to be a sling for the bebe and I bound it in another lighter aloha print. But the most ingenious part of all? The pockets at each corner on the backside. We fill them with sand to keep the quilt from blowing away. I would love to take credit, but I got the idea from a fabulous book of projects by Denyse Schmidt.

A close-up of the pocket.

Another one of the quilt with Leif playing in the background.

This quilt makes it to the beach at least once a week, if not more. We love it, but the fabric is definitely fading due to so much sun exposure. Luckily, I still have enough squares left to make another one!

Wow! I just looked at the pic I posted of this quilt a few days ago. That picture is at least a year old and you can really see how much it has faded when you campare that pic to the ones I took today. Ok, another project to add to the to-do list!

A Little Bit of Aloha

2009-04-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

As requested by Sharon, here is another pic of the Aloha Shirt Beach Quilt. I need to take some better pictures of it so you can see all of it. I will do that soon and post them along with the details and story behind it. It is definitely one of the most used quilts I have made. We love it!

For Hannah

2009-04-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

"Pretty in Pink "
Size: not sure
Pattern: original design
Completed: September 2008
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Hannah Hirose
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
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The story: I made this sweet little cuddle blanket for my friend Mary's daughter Hannah. It was her first birthday and I had some of this fabric leftover from the "Caitlynn" name I had recently completed. I put a satin binding on it and will never do that again! The binding turned out okay, but it was a serious pain to work with. Perhaps my new machine would handle it better, but I think it will be awhile before I even attempt it again.

An Experiment in Placemats

2009-04-15T11:05:00.001-07:00

"Green Garden" Placemats (4)
Pattern: original design
Completed: January 2005
Made in: Bellingham, WA
Given to: Carrie Tolley
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
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The story: For her birthday and Christmas (they are a week apart) I wanted to make something for my dear, dear friend Carrie. I asked her if she would like a table runner, but she thought placemats would be more practical. So we went to the fabric store and chose the fabric together. After one failed attempt at 1" strips I decided to mix it up and just do a random piecing of different widths of the fabrics. I think it turned out nice. None of them are exactly the same. The funny thing is that when I was finished Carrie wanted me to put them together into a runner. I tried, I really, really tried, but I couldn't make it work - I already had the binding on and everything. I would have had to unpick all the binding and then find a way to join them without it showing. I'm just not that good so she got placemats!

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

So things don't always go according to plan, right? I have spent all of Leif's nap cleaning the house in preparation for a playdate tomorrow. I finished with enough time to get started pinning one of the baby quilts I need to have done by 4/17. Well, I am 3 inches short on backing fabric!!!! 3 stinking inches! I could piece it together, but it's directional so that won't work. I am so frustrated right now. I pulled the two folding tables out to the living room and was all set to get to work and now I can't do anything. I won't have the car all week to go to the fabric store (and with construction right now it will take 15 min. to get there and over an hour to get home no matter when I go!) I have a sewing class on Saturday, I don't shop on Sundays and Monday I have plans in the other direction. So it looks like Tuesday is the soonest I might get over there. Not much time to piece the backing, pin, quilt and bind the thing before next Friday.

Update: Thanks for offering to take me to the fabric store Bethany! Luckily, Cory came to the rescue and stopped on his way to UH on Wednesday. So now I am quilting away. Should be done by Friday. Yay!!!

Secret Garden

2009-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

"A Secret Garden for Sofia"

Size: 26" x 26" (I think)

Pattern: original design (used "Puss in the Corner" block from Marsha McCloskey's Block Party)
Completed: September 2008
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Sofia Herman

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
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The story: I picked up this kit at a wonderful shop in Canmore, Alberta in Canada when we were there for a Family Christmas in 2004. But after I got it home, I realized they had replaced one of the fabrics and I just could never get myself to make the project because I didn't think it looked right with the replacement fabric. So this bag of beautiful Moda fabric sat, and sat, and sat in my closet for years. Then when I decided I wanted to make a sweet little quilt for Leif's little friend Sofia, I knew I had just the right fabric for it. I scrapped the pattern (and the replacement fabric I couldn't get over) and started from scratch- with a little help from a book of block patterns.

I wasn't able to finish it before Sofia and her family moved to CA, but I sent it off to her a couple of months later. It is the perfect size for a little cuddle quilt, for a doll quilt or for the wall.

Here are a few close-ups so you can see the sweet fabric:

Tatum

2009-04-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

"Tatum"
Size: 8 1/2” x 28”
Pattern: original design
Completed: September 2007
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Tatum Erickson

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: A little background first. About a month before we moved to Hawaii I saw my dad's cousin Marylou at a family gathering. She mentioned that her son Will and his family were also moving to Oahu that summer. He would be attending nursing school and they were hoping to live near his school on the windward side of the island, which is about an hour from where we were moving.

I hadn't seen Will in close to 10 years, but had spent some time with him and his siblings while were growing up - holidays, family reunions, etc. Well, I went to church on my first Sunday in Hawaii and about 1/2 way through Sunday School I realized that the guy sitting a few rows away was Will! Now it's not like my church only has one meeting house and on congregation on the island - there are tons - so the chances were pretty slim that we would run into each other at church.

After class I went up to him and he recognized me right away. Not only were they at my church, but they had moved into a condo on the same street as us and were literally minutes away. Crazy! Anyway, I met his wife Kristy and their 3 girls, Mariah, Brinlee and Asia. They lived here for three years and just moved back to WA last May. We miss them and try to keep up with them on their blog. Hopefully we'll see them again one of these Christmases.

Anyway, while they lived here they added one more daughter to their family, Tatum (and have since added another - yes, that's 5 girls!) So for Tatum's 1st birthday I made her this wall hanging for her room. Kind of hard to see, but it has the cutest fairy fabric. It was fun to make and I learned a lot doing it. It was only the second word I had done and I would do the "M" differently if I ever did it again and the "T's" turned out a little wider than intended. Oh well. It's all about learning and having fun, right?

Caitlynn

2009-04-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

"Caitlynn"

Size: 8" x 41"

Pattern: original design

Completed: August 2008
Made in: Hawaii

Given to: Caitlynn

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: This past summer my mommies group (honolulumommies.com) was holding a silent autction to raise money for a local charity. They were soliciting donations for the auction and I volunteered to donate a custom wall hanging of a child's name. The winner was Molly and she wanted one for her daughter Caitlynn. So, just knowing that Caitlynn's room was done in shabby chic and with a few ideas from Molly I went fabric shopping. I found these prints from Moda (one of my favorites) and thought they worked really well together. I finished it in about a week, including design time - should have only taken a few hours, but with a toddler everything takes 5 times longer!

Here are a couple of close-ups to hopefully see the fabric better. Sorry they are a bit blurry.

A Little Bit Country

2009-04-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

"Country Stars"
Size: 17 1/4” x 17 1/4”
Pattern: from a kit
Completed: December 2005
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Laurelyn Miner

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The Story: This was a kit from a very cool quilt shop in Fremont, NE (Cory's hometown.) It is a huge shop with an amazing selection of fabric. Needless to say everytime we go back to Nebraska, we have to stop by and I never get out of there without doing a little damage to the bank account.

Anyway, once again I decided to make a few Christmas gifts in 2005 and my friend Laurelyn was the recipient of this little wall hanging. It's hard to tell in the photos, but most of the fabrics have some kind of star pattern in them.

Sewing Class

2009-04-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I started a little "sewing group" with my mommy friends from Honolulu Mommies. At the first class there were 4 mommies and we made backpacks. I found this pattern online and modified it a bit. We had a lot of fun and decided to do it again. At the second class there were 7 mommies and we made crayon roll-ups. They turned out super cute. Our third class is next Saturday and we have 8 mommies coming (I can't fit anymore in my house than that!) When I posted the date for this upcoming class it filled up within hours and we have a waitlist. Most of the mommies are beginners and it is so fun to share something I love with good company!

Here are some pics of our projects:
A sideways shot of the backpack I made for myself.

Leif and his McQueen "PACKPACK." Speed!!! It's perfect for him to wear to church with all his quiet toys in it. I made one for his best buddy Ronan, too.

Trish's crayon roll. This was the first thing she has ever sewn. She did awesome! And she chose the cutest fabric, too.

This is Jessica's. She was also a first-timer and did a great job.

Nicole and her project. This was her second class and it turned out pratically perfect.

We are making these cute little pincushions next week. I got the idea from a Moda Bake Shop Charm Pack Recipe. But I'm not sure the group is ready for half-square triangles so we're sticking with a small little four-patch block with little bit of quilting on it. We are also making the most adorable hanging book displays from Ohdeedoh. I'll post pics after the class.

Noel

2009-04-04T12:04:00.001-07:00

"Aloha Noel"
Size: 10" x 23" (I think)
Pattern: Original Design
Completed: December 2008
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Mary Bennett
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

"Noel"
Size: 8" x 21"
Pattern: Original design
Completed: December 2008
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Ric and Lori Packard, Mike and Billie Bennett, Mike and Stacy Bennett, Irene Thor, Jake and Maggie Liljenquist and one for us
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
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The story: This past Christmas I decided to make quilt gifts again. Since I had done Leif's name (and a couple others) I thought I could do a Christmas word for our parents and siblings. Since I would be making 7 of them I needed a Christmas word that wasn't too long or too complicated. I settled on "Noel" and went fabric shopping. The top one was for Cory's mom, Mary, and we wanted to do something a little less traditional for her. She loves all things tropical so when I found the red and green print with turtles and palm trees I knew it was perfect. For the rest I just chose a simple subduded green and red with a tree-ish patttern. It was a lot of work to finish them all, but once I got going with an assembly line strategy it went fairly quickly. This was the first time I had made more than one of anything, and some definitely turned out better than others.

For Kennon

2009-04-03T23:47:00.000-07:00

"Kennon's Quilt"
Size: 45" x 57" (I think)
Pattern: "Kid in a Candy Store" by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle
Completed: August 2008
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Kennon Liljenquist
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
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The story: This pattern was featured in American Patchwork and Quilting's April 2006 issue. It was shown with beautiful bright pinks, greens, oranges, yellows, blues and purples. I flagged the page and always planned to come back to it. I have made a quilt for each of my nieces and nephews and as soon as my sister Maggie found out she was having a boy I went fabric shopping. I had kept this pattern in the back of my head and when Maggie said she wanted just simple blues and greens I thought it would work. I was desperate to get it finished after working on it for over a year, so I did very simple rectangles for the quilting. I was pleased with the end result and Kennon got it before his 1st birthday! (Barely.)

Leif's Name

2009-04-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

"Leif"
Size: 7 3/4” x 20”
Pattern: original design
Completed: January 2007
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Leif Kalama

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: Cory and I took a pretty casual approach to naming Leif. We both would throw a name or two out there during the pregnancy and I guess we sort of had a list. But we didn't share any of our ideas with anyone and we only ever called him "Boy" (which we still do quite frequently.) Toward the end we both had a feeling we knew his name but still weren't sure. Then, the night before my due date I dreamed of this wall hanging in great detail. I had never made anything like it before and it wasn't something I had seen anywhere or considered making or been working on in my head or on paper. The dream was the first thought of it.

The next day, January 2, 2007, I designed and made it - pretty much exactly as I dreamed it. We still weren't 100% sure, but I figured I didn't have anything else to do that day. He didn't arrive for five more days and after he was born it was still about 3 hours before we decided for sure. It helped that he came out super blonde!

Cory found the driftwood stick at the beach and sanded it down. The fabric was all scraps from Leif's two baby quilts I had finished in December. I just quilted it in the ditch, but sometimes I think about going back and stippling the dark blue background - maybe when I have nothing else I'm working on.

Now, sometimes when Leif is going to bed he'll point to his baby quilt hanging on the wall and say, "Mama made that quilt for Leif." Then he points to this wall hanging and says, "Mama made that special quilt for Leif."

Pink Batiks

2009-03-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Pink Batiks"
Size: 12 1/4" x 38 1/2"
Pattern: original design
Completed: December 2004
Made in: Bellingham, WA
Given to: Laurelyn Miner

Machine peiced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: Mmmmmm. I love reds and I love batiks, so when I found this red swirl batik fabric, I had to have it. This was another Christmas project for 2004 and I knew my dear friend Laurelyn in Alaska would love the fabric as much as I did. Because I was so ambitious that Christmas (I think I ended up making 4 or 5 table runners for gifts) I had to be efficient in my designs. This was a simple alternating pattern bound with a light striped batik to help the reds and pinks pop.

Red Floral for Billie

2009-03-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

Close up to see the flowers and paisleys. I loved this fabric!

On Mike and Billie's beautiful cherry wood dining table.

"Red Floral”
Size: apprx. 12" x 100"
Pattern: original design
Completed: December 2004
Made in: Bellingham, WA
Given to: Billie Bennett

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: With my new found passion I decided I was ready to make quilt Christmas presents in 2004. This one was for my mother-in-law Billie in Nebraska. She and my father-in-law Mike had just built a beautiful home and I wanted to make her something for her formal dining room. I can't recall where I found the fabric, but it was most likely from Fourth Corner Quilts in Bellingham, WA. I used two coordiating fabrics in 3" wide strips with a contrasting green binding. This was the first time I used strip piecing and it worked great. I believe I just quilted it in the ditch.

Koi Pond

2009-03-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

"Koi Pond"
Size: 12 1/2" x 66 1/2"
Completed: Summer 2004
Made in: Bellingham, WA

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

This quilt is kept on the table in my entryway.

The story: This quilt is the result of falling in love with a fat quarter bundle at a little quilt shop in Anacortes, WA. I loved the Asian elements of the fabrics and the boldness of the red. The bundle sat in my craft room for a while until I found the perfect use for it. After having taken two classes I decided I was ready to venture out on my own. I purchased Marsha McClosky's Block Party book of 120 block patterns and went on a search for something I could do with this beautiful bundle of fabric. I knew I needed something fairly basic since I was on my own with this one. I settled on the Stepping Stone block, placed on point with four patch blocks and large triangles to highlight the red coy fabric. Looking at this quilt even now I am pretty impressed with how I put it all together. But I think the credit really belongs to whoever put the bundle together. I remember that I ran out of the red koi fabric and none of the shops in Bellingham carried it, I think I had to have my mom search for it, too. Luckily I found what I needed and was able to complete the project. This is the last quilt I hand sewed the binding on!

May Basket

2009-03-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

"A Golden May Basket”
Size: approximately 22" x 22"
Completed: Spring 2004
Made in: Bellingham, WA
Given to: Emily Dade

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

The story: This wall hanging was also a class taught by Nancy at Fourth Corner Quilts in Bellingham, WA. I took the class in May2004 and completed the piece sometime that spring. The class just got me as far as the 12 1/2" May Basket Block and I turned it on point and added the borders, white triangles and cornerstones. I also did a lot more quilting that was visible on this piece. My first quilt was just quilted in the ditch, but I did some pretty heavy quilting on this one. Not bad for only my second quilt.

I loved the bright colors of the batik fabric, but it didn't match anything in my house. Eventually, I hung it in my office at work, where it looked great. Then, in June 2005, when we were moving to Hawaii, for some reason I decided to give it to my sister Emily. She found the perfect palce for it in her house. She passed away from breast cancer in July 2007, but her husband Gary has kept it and even found a perfect place for it in their new home. It means a lot to me that Gary and the kids have it. I know Emily really loved it.

My First Quilt

2009-03-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

"Winter's First Snowball"
Size: 30 1/2" x 39 1/2"
Completed: February 2004
Made in Bellingham, WA
Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301
This quilt now hangs in my sewing room.

The story: In January 2004 I took my first quilting class - a series of I think 4 or 6 evening classes. It was for beginners and I was definitely a beginner. The class was taught by Nancy at Fourth Corner Quilts in Bellingham, WA. The photos are not great and I wish I had a better camera or lighting to really show the colors, but oh well.

When selecting my fabric I first chose the fabric for the large snowballs and then tried to match all the others. I have learned A LOT about fabric selection since then. And I would not love this quilt if it weren't for the fact that it was my first. I learned so much - most importantly that I HATE hand sewing binding! I quickly figured out how to do it by machine. It may be cheating, but I don't care.

Not bad for my first 1/2 square triangles.

Just a close-up to see some of the quilting.

Why a blog.....

2009-03-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to start a blog of my quilting and sewing projects - past, present and future. It's a bit overwhelming to decide where to start: my first quilt or my most recent creation, why I started quilting or how I find time to quilt with a two year old. I guess I'll start with a little background and go from there.

I have been sewing off and on since I was a kid. My mom sewed clothes and costumes for us growing up and I always enjoyed sewing with her. Every summer we would work on sewing projects for 4-H - up until the wee hours trying to finish something in time to get it entered in the county fair. Once I became a teenager I would ocassionally sew a skirt or something for myself, but lost interest for a few years. Then my mom gave me my first sewing machine of my own (a Pfaff Hobby 301 - more to come on that little machine later) for Christmas in 1994. I dabbled with it a bit here and there, making pillow cases, curtains and the ocassional dress - bridesmaid dresses and I wasn't very good at it and frequently found myself back at home having mom walk me through the hard parts. I realized I didn't really like making clothes. And since then have only done it if I have absolutley had to.

So my machine sat in the closet most of the time. I would sew a few times a year and everytime I moved (which was frequently back then) I would make new curtains for the house or other such things. I made baby quilts (clueless about it now that I look back) for a nephew and a couple of good friends and then in the fall of 2003 a new quilt shop opend up around the corner from our house. I had always admired quilts, but felt I didn't have the skill or patience to do it right. I mentioned to Cory a few times that I would love to quilt, but would need to take a class or two to get started. Well, he was paying attention and for Christmas that year he signed me up for a beginner quilting class at the shop around the corner (Fourth Corner Quilts - Bellingham, WA) and he even talked to the owner (Julia Menkee) and picked out a few basic supplies that I would need - cutting mat, rotary cutter and acrylic ruler. I was thrilled with the gift and I could tell he was proud of himself. Little did he know then that quilting would become a minor obsession of mine.

So I started my first quiting class in January 2004.

Ok, tht's it for now - naptime is over.... Next installment will be about my first real quilt.