Follower Spotlight!

Wow, ya'll. I don't even know what to say! Jennifer from THE Ellison Lane Quilts is doing a Follower Spotlight on me over at her place today. Really, anyone who might read my little ol' blog I'm sure already knows her - unless you are a) related to me, or b) a personal non-sewing friend who reads this blog. We "met" and chatted for months before meeting for real in Utah at Sewing Summit .  

 I'm here to tell you she is just as warm-hearted and funny in person as she appears on her blog. She is super talented with a sewing machine, a genius with fabric selection, and masterful at spreading good cheer throughout the internet. Her blog posts in my inbox are a welcome treat and something I look forward to every day! I was stunned and humbled when she asked if I wanted to do the spotlight. I mean, really, I've only been blogging for a few months and barely know how to do anything beyond the basics. But, I love to sew and create, and sharing it with a community has been amazing. Thanks again, Jennifer, like those before me have said, I feel so honored!  

So, moving on to what's been on the sewing table! This was just the push I needed to finish the quilting on this quilt. This is called Racing Stripes and is part of my Kona Solids Challenge. Originally, it was the back of another Solids quilt (which is still just a top...so hoping I get inspired to return to it...I'll show you that another day). But I liked how this turned out, and following Week's and Bill's suggestion, I turned this into it's own quilt. I love how it turned out!

I used Kona Coal for the background, and the stripes are made out of Glacier, Sage, Wine, Butterscotch, and Terragon.  It turned out pretty big too, about 65"x75".  The quilting is just straight lines...can you believe this is my first all straight line quilt?  I think my total quilt count is in the 50s , so that should let you know how much I like free motion quilting!  I love the look of straight lines, but normally, I find the actual quilting part tedious - I just start itching to move that quilt around!  But this one went pretty quick - about 2 hours - since I only quilted in the background and left the colors alone.  Here is the back:

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you all have a great and productive weekend! Happy Sewing!

2011 in Review

Last January, over coffee with a friend, I declared my 2011 resolution as "to get back into sewing."  Um, I think it's more than safe to say that is one resolution I kept!  At the time, I was feeling a bit restless and had a smidge more free time as the kiddos seemed to be getting past that I'm-sure-to-stumble-into-certain-tragedy-if-mom-is-more-than-5-feet-away stage.  So, after about 3 years away from the sewing machine (gasp!, but what's a girl to do with 3 children under 3 years old?!), I treated myself to a little new fabric and started looking online for some inspiration.  WOW - the online sewing community had exploded during my sleep-deprived hiatus, and truly, a bunch of time went into learning how the modern quilt movement had changed and evolved over the years.  I was absolutely floored and inspired by what I saw - COLOR! - and lots of it.  My eyes craved it and drank it in.  Little did I know back then just how much this neglected hobby of mine would come roaring back into our lives (I say our, because really, mom's obsession affects the whole family :) ).  Here's a few projects from the past year:
A quilt for my son:

 A mini for a friend, with a verse quilted around the border:

A strippy fall quilt to showcase color contrast:

 Another rainbow mini for a swap:

 A lap quilt for a friend's 40th birthday:

A lap quilt made practically in the speed of light to comfort a friend in need:

 A pouch for a friend's birthday:

 A pillow for a swap, using Elizabeth Hartman's  mod mosaic tutorial:

 A full size quilt for my daughter:

A baby hat knit for a friend's new baby:

 A pouch made for Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr:

 Another baby hat for a friend's new baby:

 And one of my favorites (although, this pic isn't the greatest), a strip quilt made with Freshly Cut (HB):

And there's a couple more completed quilt tops (Kona solids challenge made for my son, just to mention one) that I didn't include here because technically, it's not finished.  Wow - Seeing it all together makes me feel productive - and happy!  Here's to 2012 being full of fun new projects and lots of finishes!

First Things First

Happy New Year!  I've missed you!  It feels like it has been eons since I've had the chance to write, let alone read and visit all the blogs I normally do.  We have been running around like crazy - all for good things - but I am ready for our schedule to fall back into it's normal pace and rhythm. Read:  I'm ready to get back to my sewing machine!  How I've missed the sweet hum of seams being formed to join fabric to fabric, and that moment when you unfold it for the first time with sweet anticipation to see what it will look like joined.  You who sew, I'm guessing you know exactly what I'm talking about...
Anyway.  First things first.  Even though it seems like ages ago, I have to take a minute here and thank Tammy of Karamat.  During the Sew Mama Sew giveaway, I won 2 yards of fabric of my choice from Tammy's shop!  It arrived before Christmas - super fast service! - and was such a sweet package in the mail during a very busy time.  You can see below what I picked...which pretty much sums my fabric tastes up pretty well.  They may not look like they go together...but I am drawn to both fun/bright playful fabrics, and the more serious, understated variety as well.  Thanks again, Tammy - I've enjoyed stopping by your blog and seeing what you are up to - so fun to find a new source of inspiration!