Sister Weekend
What an awesome weekend it was! As sisters, we value our past, and what better way is there than to spend a weekend reminiscing and creating memory bears!
While creating our own memories, we enjoyed making bears using our dad’s overalls and work shirts. We also made an Army memory bear for one of our own. And … we plan to make many more. What do you all think about this, and would YOU like a memory bear?
I took a little break from quilting to do a little sewing for myself. This is the Geneva V-Neck Blouse from Liesl + Co, and I’m over on the Oliver + S blog talking about the pattern hack. It’s a great pattern — check it out!
Wow…. three years! That’s how long I worked on this project. Of course, it was on the back burner for most of that time.
The first quilt was inspired by “Postcards From Sweden”. I didn’t exactly follow the pattern and didn’t use as many colors, but I think it turned out just as cute. I experimented with the applique on the back, and it turned into “Colors From The Sea”. I started this for Grandchild #1 (GC#1), but she outgrew it while it was still in the unfinished pile, but GC#3 loves it! She has decided the back is really the front 🙂
I bought the fabric for “Bon Bini Sunset” several years ago and started it this year. Again, I didn’t exactly follow the pattern — I added a variety of solids and additional prints from my stash. I had fun with different quilting motifs on the quilt — sunshine in the sky, fronds and bubbles in the sea, and sand dollars on the beach. I love all the colors, and so does GC#1. For GC#2 – a cute herringbone patterned quilt with fabric from the greatest adventure on the back. I love these colors too – khaki, red, blue, and navy.
They waited, not always patiently, until I finished all the quilts. I know people who make quilts for all their grandchildren every year, but I’m not that fast 🙂 I should go ahead and start planning the next round so I’ll have them ready in about three years!
I’m participating in a Free Motion Fun group this year, and our challenge quilt pattern is High Light (available from All People Quilt). We were given the pattern and one print – the large floral (we picked from pink or blue). Honestly, the print wasn’t one I would have chosen, and I was more resigned instead of excited to be making that particular quilt. We discussed the project during our first class, and I selected the pink floral just because most of the group selected blue. I did have fun selecting coordinating fabric for the quilt – going with a real contrast for the “high light” portion of the quilt. We were tasked to have the quilt completed by December.
About four months later, I pulled out the fabric and started on the quilt. Other than the high light blocks, I really couldn’t remember how I planned to use the colors in the quilt. I just know the result is not what I had in mind back in January. I did have to buy another yard of the floral, and I also matched the back to the high light blocks to pull everything together. The blocks are large, and this quilt is a quick sew. This was a perfect pattern for this class since our goal is to use free motion quilt designs on the quilt.
As I mentioned above, I was not excited about the quilt, but that made the quilting completely stress-free since I had no expectations for the end result. I kept joking about who I was going to give the quilt to when I finished. Anyway, the more I worked on the quilt, the more I liked it. I started call it “the 70s quilt” – I know I had a dress with than pink floral back in the 70s. It also really reminded me of my grandmother (Nanny). She taught me to sew when I was a kid. She was always making something – everyone in the family has quilts that she made. In later years, she was also “famous” for some of her color combinations. I think she would have really liked this quilt. Instead of “the 70s quilt”, this became “the Nanny quilt”.
I decided to have fun with the quilting designs. I chose multiple colors for the quilting, matching the top thread color to the block. I matched the bobbin thread to the back fabric since I didn’t want multiple colors on the back. I also used a different free motion motif in each different color block. I quilted several Lori Kennedy designs (square flowers, Nora’s rose, posy medallions, dizzy daisies, strings of pearls, and more), McTavishing, and quilted text. This was my first time to try McTavishing – I’ll definitely use it again. Since the quilt reminded me of my grandmother, I decided to dedicate the four text blocks to her memory. 
In the end, this is one of my favorite quilts! I had a lot of fun with the design, and I really, really, love how it turned out. Instead of trying to find someone to take it, I envision one of Nanny’s great great grandchildren ending up with it one day.
“Mother, Mama, Nanny….
Practical, thrifty, spoke her mind…
Maker of teacakes,
rice and tomato soup, buttermilk custard,
And enough quilts for everyone….
Even the dog.”
I started making these great little teacher aprons a couple of years ago. These are great “teacher’s aids” — they keep everything handy (pens, markers, phone, keys, etc) as you teach.
I’ve been sidetracked with other projects, and only have one currently in stock. One of my favorite teachers asked about these today, so I plan to make several in the next few days. I’ll be glad to make one for you in time for the start of school. Send me an e-mail, and we can coordinate your fabric choices.
Not a quilt….just a fun sew!
I finished my first Thayer Jacket yesterday. This is a great pattern from Grainline Studio. The pattern instructions are very easy to understand, and they also have a series of sew-along blog posts that are extremely helpful — especially when making the jacket for the first time.
This is an easy fitting jacket, but they do have fitting tips if needed. On the next jacket, I’ll probably lengthen the sleeves a little, but the fit was good otherwise. I used 13 oz Cone Mills Rigid Indigo Denim (made in the USA) for the exterior and Robert Kaufman Durango Flannel for the lining (cosy). I had a few challenges, but overall I’m thrilled about how the jacket turned out.
I can already see my next jacket …. natural denim with a cute printed cotton lining — perfect for spring!
Some people have ugly Christmas sweaters, but I now have an ugly Christmas quilt. Really, the quilt is cute, but the quilting didn’t quite turn out like I hoped. This quilt was two years in the making — I almost gave up several times.
This quilt was made with a free pattern from Tula Pink – Flakin’ With Our Homies (http://www.tulapink.com/free-patterns), and I also used her Christmas fabric – Holiday Homies. I love the fabric and quilt — it’s perfect for a very country Christmas.
I started the quilt TWO YEARS AGO!! I’m very pleased with the quilt, and I did learn a lot from the quilting process. I had a lot of trouble with the thread breaking — it took awhile to get the tension right for the thread weight. I started quilting before taking a class with Lori Kennedy (https://lorikennedyquilts.com/), and I picked it up again after class. I should have listened more in class! I learned that Lori is right — I should have doodled and planned more before I jumped into the quilting; however, once I started, I was committed to the design.
I was determined to finish it before another Christmas passed — success at last! We will enjoy using this quilt even if it does have some unique “design features”. Notice my cute little “quilt hangers” — they enjoyed helping hold the quilt.
Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by my new site. This is going to be a work in progress. I’m learning as I build my site — I want a way to share my interests and also highlight some of my handcrafted items for sale. So…. I appreciate your patience as I work through this new project.
I’ve added a few of my bags and backpacks. I’ve recently discovered several great pattern sites and really enjoy making the bags. The Redwood Tote is a great mid-sized cross-body tote, and the Range Backpack is really cute and versatile. These are both Noodlehead patterns. I’ll be writing more about the construction process for these bags soon.
So, stay tuned as this site continues to grow — I hope you enjoy reading my posts.
-Debbie
