Tuesday, September 29, 2009

songbird journal quilt....


This is for a round robin journal swap and they are fabric pieces that are 6x 8....This one is for Sanna whose theme is birds and nests and she likes blues and creams...I didnt really get the cream in, but I am hoping she likes it anyway. I started with a plain piece of canvas duck, made up some fabric paper and painted and stitched. I love the dimension that fabric paper adds to things....click on the picture and you will see a close up...I think you will see what I mean!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Two Halloween fabric pieces....



Fiber art Traders, a Yahoo group I belong too had two challenges..A 5x7 monster fabric piece and a 8.5x11 haunted house fabric piece...I felt inspired today and went crazy upstairs...The haunted house piece was especially fun. I just started laying down upholstery and silk scraps then free motioning the details. I sure enjoy just letting it flow....

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Baby quilt and a new kitten....





My quilt giveaway was so fun...kind of sad to see it over but I have been pretty busy. First of all, I am finally organized as fair as my sewing and art supplies go...it has been a long, long time...I mean everything has a place instead of just randomly thrown in bins...It has made a huge difference and I found all kinds of cool stuff! It was almost as fun as going thru someones attic and finding all kinds of treasures..I am still amazed at how many big pieces of fabric I have and now they are all folded and neatly put away in their very own bin. It took me two days to get it done but it was worth it. I have moved so much that it has just gotten worse with every move...I also got a new kitten and boy is he cute...Thomas is spitting mad at me and Cooper is just so jealous he cant stand it...I just decided on a whim that I needed a kitten and I found this adorable little guy...he is super tiny..The first night it was like having a newborn baby in the house...He cried and woke up every two hours. Now he has settled right in. I named him Joe Bobbin. He almost is too little to be away from his mama but I am doing better with him every day...I have scratches all over my arms from his little needle claws. I love kittens! I took a picture of Cooper, the kitten and I and Cooper had to try to jump on my lap....notice the stick in his mouth? that is him being neurotic about the kitten...'see my stick? "see my stick!!!" Thomas was off sulking somewhere...I also have been working on a baby girl quilt. This the top almost finished. I actually got it done tonight and I am going to quilt it up tomorrow. I made it for my blogger friend Jessica who is expecting her third little girl. I remember for my first baby, all the baby gifts, then a little less for the second, and the third even less. I just wanted her to have something special. It is in really soft colors by moda..pinks, yellow, cream and a little bit of brown..I found the pattern at the Utah quilt guild show...It is called "somebunny loves me"...Just thought it was adorable. I appliqued the bunny in soft pink chenille..I really like it and I hope she does too!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

And the winner of the quilt is............

drum roll........Utah Grammie!!!!! Maybe I can meet you and hand deliver it to you! Thanks everyone for celebrating my 250th post with me..It has been a lot of fun and I will do it again..maybe for my 500th! Melinda

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Quilt is done and the giveaway is Tuesday!









Wow! what a great response and so much fun for me...I still am trying to email everyone back and visit some new blogs...I just love talking to the quilters and looking at all the great quilts...I am really pleased with how my giveaway quilt turned out and I hope whoever wins it likes it as much as I do! Speaking of Quilters, Jean the quilting granny is having a giveaway on her blog...go see her..She is one of my very good friends and I love ya Jean..http://quiltingranny.blogspot.com Just scroll down and you will see it...she is giving away various quilting things and the giveaway is October first..... I also finished my Halloween Swap..It was a ten dollar limit so I really got creative...even sprayed some branches from the yard black. I really, really, had fun making this..just played with fabric like a little kid until it took shape. i never have a plan, it just kind of turns into what it wants to be. I just run the sewing machine like a madwoman...Also another quiltie for my sewing circle group...Judy's theme was chickens so being inspired by a handsome rooster at the State fair I had to stitch him up...these little quilts are 6x8 which actually is really small to fit a bunch of stuff on...I wont say they are any quicker though... I also am showing a picture of two of my first run of quilts hanging on the line...Is there anything better? They make me smile looking so pretty out there. The blue one is Coopers..Dogs need snuggle quilts too...I didn't get to go to Portland..I am pretty disappointed, but I have been using the time to work on projects...It makes me feel better. Julie decided to stay another week in Oregon, and I just couldn't go for that long! Lisa is thinking of moving to Utah though, and I am hoping for that...I miss my kids!!!!!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Giveaway Quilt is Quilted!!!! Keep those entries coming!



Another busy, busy couple of days but I got it quilted and Thomas the cat says it's going to be a big hit...He is always my partner in crime (Quilting) in the sewing room...Now just in case you win, and you don't appreciate cat hair I will say that I always wash a quilt and wrap it up pretty before sending it on it's way. I love the quilted look it gets as everything comes together...Boyfriend and I went to another baseball game last night and had a great time and then today, we went with Julie and Steve and baby Jace to the Utah State fair...There are some rockin' quilters here for sure! I shouldve brought a camera, but of course I didn't. My favorite is always the animal barns though. I love the goats and the chickens and bunnies. So did Jace until a rooster crowed and he got scared and screamed bloody murder... I am leaving Monday morning for Portland. I will be gone for a week and I am so excited to see my babies!!!!!!! I will probably cry my eyes out when I see them. Julie is driving with me so it should be fun. Road trip...mmmmmmm..I hate riding in the car, but it will be worth it to see the kids! I am going to announce the quilt winner a week from Tuesday..I am having more fun doing this. I have been so blessed to make such good friends through blogging, and I am hoping to make some more! One of my good friends is Tonya at http://tonyassewingroom.blogspot.com and she had a post about how "where and How did we start quilting?' and "What started us on this wonderful endless journey" So, I thought I would write my piece too...it first came from Daisy at http://daisyquilts.blogspot.com. I have said it before and you may have read it, but I flunked Home ec sewing....Looking back I think it moved to slow and the ole ADD thing kicked in and I was bored...I honestly didnt think I would ever enjoy sewing but I liked the idea of it. When I was forty I started scrapbooking and became obsessed and then I started looking at fabrics...It isn't a huge jump from paper to fabric. At least it wasn't in my mind. I told my boyfriend James that I wanted to make a quilt and needed a sewing machine so he took me on a shopping trip and loaded me up...(what a sweetheart huh?) I was worried when it took me a day to thread the thing. I taught myself to sew and quilt using a Joanns block of the month quilt...I made two from start to finish, including free motion quilting them under my machine and I fell in love. The first quilt I finished is downstairs on my couch now and yes, it is a hot mess, but I love it. I had given it to my grandma and she adored it and showed everybody and even entered it in the Tillamook County Fair ( much to my horror)....It got a mercy red ribbon...When she passed away my dad gave it back to me and I treasure it. I went from quilting to art quilting and fabric art...My favorite part is picking the fabric and the piecing...the binding being my least favorite though by then I am excited to have it finished. I machine stitch it all including the back of the binding. I also am not a meticulous quilter but what I am is a joyful quilter...I think to me it means expressing myself in fabric and having fun. I love bright colors and a lot of pattern. I would have a hard time working with some of the more traditional lines of fabrics. I have always said that someday I will be making quilts to giveaway and I think I am about there. I love giving them as gifts and my quilts are made to be used, loved and get worn out. They will never be in a quilt show but they are made with love while I am singing and dancing my little heart out...And why do you quilt?

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

post #249 my big quilt giveaway!!!!


You all know it is coming...Post # 250 and I am feeling really proud of myself about it! A lot of you have been with me through the good days and the not so great days and now it is time to celebrate....I am giving away a QUILT!!!! It is so pretty in turquoise and greys and a some orange for punch and it is between a full sized and a twin so there is a lot to snuggle up with...It's on the quilter now, and I am making it for my special reader that wins it...It could be you! All you need to do is post a comment on either this, or the next two posts, put the button on the sidebar on your blog and become a follower of my blog...Each thing will get you an entry..So up to three! If you already follow my blog, one entry is automatic just cause I love you all so much!!!! I am so excited about this and cant wait to get the winner by random number generator! Good luck everyone and Happy 25oth!!!!

Monday, September 7, 2009

A necklace and pajama pants....




As usual, I have had a busy few days, but I still have gotten in some time to
work on a few things. I made the cutest pair of pajama pants out of the softest
flannel in the world. I made them for my sister Julie and then I put them on and
they spoke to me, they really did and now they are mine. I am not totally mean, I have fabric to make her another pair and I wont try them on either. What she doesn't know wont hurt her is how I am justifying it. I also worked on my black and white charm necklace and I finished it! I love it...It has handmade charms from all kinds of people on it and I think it is a stunner..In fact, I wore it today and got all kinds of comments...good ones by the way. (I am wearing the necklace in the pictures)I also am posting a picture of a stray sunflower in my tomatoes...He is so pretty and just a little guy..They grow every where wild here. I have always loved sunflowers, so bright and happy. I joined Valerie's Halloween swap, so I am starting a few projects for that and I also have my 25oth post coming up and I am planning for that. When I started blogging, I wasn't sure I could keep up with it and it has come to mean a lot to me. I have made some of the greatest friends and they understand me because we have creating in common...I don't have to explain anything and it gives me a forum and a voice and I think that is why we all blog. Sometimes the privacy thing is kind of scary, because I think at times we all really open up, but maybe that is what makes it so great too...You all don't want to miss my giveaway for my 250th post...I am making a quilt now and it is going to be a nice one..just a little hint...I may make an apron too, but I am not sure if I will have the time. The weather is really beautiful right now and BF and I are taking advantage of it. We went out on Willard Reservoir yesterday in the boat with Julie and Steve and baby Jace..We had a blast...I named the boat "The Big Banana" cause it is a big yellow (of all colors) Bayliner...It is amazing to me how much water is actually in Utah!!! Willard is huge...I thought it was part of the Salt Lake cause it is right next to it but the water is fresh..Julie and I would jump off the boat and swim until she made a comment about what was swimming around under us and the "Jaws music started playing in my head. I hit the swim step...FAST...We also went to another baseball game this week and had friends over for a bbq. Tomorrow we are going to ride the motorcycle up the canyon to Pine ridge reservoir and go poke around. It is so green and pretty up there. Another Utah surprise. I am really starting to like it here...