Wednesday, October 19, 2011

amish wip

I had this little amish quilt pinned and waiting to be quilted.  This was before I discovered the 505 basting spray!  I have taken out the pins and spray basted it and I am ready to hand stitch : )  The squares in the center measure 1 inch finished and the little quilt measures about 28 inches square.  Now I am trying to decide what color or colors to use for my stitching.  I am considering black or purple thread, and of course, the bright blue thread shown.  I would be so happy with some suggestions!  What color would you choose?




piece,
elizabeth

Sunday, October 16, 2011

little quilt monday #2....a finish and a wip

I have finished my mini lazy cathedral window made with three dimensional flying geese.  I decided to hand stitch in the ditch and I like the way it looks.  It measures 18.5 inches square.  I first showed how I made this pattern here and here.  I am linking up to Fabric Tuesday with Quilt Story.

My hand stitches are in an aqua crochet thread.




My work in progress is Circular Applique from The Purl Bee.


I didn't make the circles exactly the same size or amount as the pattern, but I did use a fusible and turn as they suggested.  I used a creamy linen as my background fabric and some of my Liberty of London fabric that I am saving for special projects like this.   I am ready to start sewing them down by hand and I hope they will look more like circles when I finish : )



Now it is your turn to   link up  your small project to Little Quilt Monday! 
A small project is a mini quilt, table runner, mug rug, doll quilt, pillow, pouch, wall hanging, what ever you are working on or have finished.  Please mention that you have linked up here on your blogpost : )  Lets inspire each other....
piece,
elizabeth




Friday, October 14, 2011

mini finish on friday


I finished a mini quilt from a block that I made for the Block Party at Quilt Story in February.  I call this quilt block Cross Timbers and you can read the original blog here.  If you follow my blog at all, you know I have become very attached to making little quilts and using perle cotton(or in my case, crochet thread) for my hand stitching.




I am linking to Finish it up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts.

piece,
elizabeth

Thursday, October 13, 2011

a treasure on thursday

I have my mother's sewing box and it is a treasure : )  Not that it would mean much to anyone else, it is just full of some sweet memories.
Her crochet hooks are inside, along with several of her afghan patterns.  I especially like this one, Indian Paint Brush, that is in her handwriting.  And below is her afghan made from this pattern.


This bright tin was always near the sewing machine and filled with pins and needles and lace.  There are lots of wooden spools,  and the pin cushion we always used.
I imagine this has something to do with why I favor bright colored fabric!

Good memories.
piece,
elizabeth


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

wip with my go! baby


I finally broke down and purchased a Go! Baby while visiting Colorado last week.  There is a fun, crafty store called Fringe in Salida, Colorado.  They sell a wonderful selection of fabrics, yarns, and gifts.  They also have a nice class schedule each month.  I always try to visit Fringe when I am in Colorado, and this time they were having a sale : )  I came home with a Go! Baby and the tumbler and 2.5 inch strip dies.  I am now deciding what new dies I need to add to my collection!

My fabric stash in Colorado is limited but this is what I came up with while I was there using the tumbler die:


I really like the wavy colorful design of this little mini quilt and I will probably end up hand stitching with more color.
Do you have any suggestions for me?


I pieced a circle with some of the leftover tumbler blocks so I need to decide what to do with it too : )
What an easy way to make a color wheel.


I wonder what die I should get next?

You didn't think we would go to Colorado without Tiger, did you?  He hates the long drive in the car, but he loves the destination!



piece,
elizabeth

Don't forget to add your mini/little quilts to Little Quilt Monday each week : )



Sunday, October 9, 2011

1st edition: little quilt monday----ticker tape doll quilt

Welcome to Little Quilt Monday linky party.  I am looking forward to this challenge to try some new things in a small project and I hope I am not alone : )  You can link up(below) your mini projects that are a WIP or finished at the bottom of this post.  I am sure I will be inspired by all the little quilts that are being made and I know you will be too!

This week I decided to make a ticker tape doll quilt.  I have seen these and have always wanted to make one.  I found several tutorials for this type of quilt.  Here are a few of the tutorials that you might like to try sometime:  Crazy Mom Quilts,  Sew Take A Hike, and Stitched In Color.



I decided to add my little pieces by hand instead of machine like the tutorials.  I am happy with the way it turned out and I even like the look from the back!  The aspen leaves are from my week in Colorado.



Now it is your turn to link up your little quilts below and please, add my link to your post.  I have a button on my side bar but it is just a picture, I haven't learned how to add the box of detail below it yet.  You can add it as a picture and then link to my post if you would like to do that : )

piece,
elizabeth


Saturday, October 8, 2011

quilted zipper bags

I have been making little zipper bags for years.  I use them as make-up bags, plug and internet cord bags, camera bags, and they also make great gifts.  They are a wonderful way to use scraps of fabric and also to practice machine quilting.






I keep this bag in my purse and use it as a make-up bag.  I photo-copied a picture of a party pic taken years ago with some of my college friends : )


Tiger suggests a bag with his picture for felt mice(he's never met the real thing) and cat treats.....

Don't forget to link up with your mini quilts on Little Quilt Monday : )



piece,
elizabeth