Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Stylish Casual Wear for Quilters!


One night recently I couldn't sleep so I looked at the tutorial videos on YouTube to see how to print tee-shirts. So this is my first design: "Pink Log Cabin." Aren't they nice? 


I browsed through my closet and picked out my favorite tee-shirts. It turns out that they were all made by the same company, Gildan Ultra Cotton. So that was easy. I ordered light pink. And some high quality fabric paint in up-to-date colors.


THE BASICS: These are 100% cotton, preshrunk, hand-painted, colorfast, machine washable and dry-able, nice quality, and available in my Etsy store for $20 in Small, Medium, Large, X Large and XX Large. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Come back tomorrow to see the bloopers. Yup, the practice shirts. Hee hee.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Collage Quilt with Selvages


This little collage quilt is the work of Bonnie Gorsuch of Cannon Beach, Oregon. I wish I'd met her when I was vacationing there recently! You can see this quilt in her Etsy shop: MyBonny. She also sells altered wearables (below), aprons, paintings, etc. Bonnie started making troll clothes in the 1960's. Aww, cute.



See this article for more about Bonnie.



Monday, July 29, 2013

Heartwarming Quilts and My Dad


Today is my wonderful Dad's birthday. He would have been 87 today. In honor of him, I'm posting a collection of truly awesome vintage quilts. The first one (above) is from Farmgirl Fare. I love the lime green in the corner of each fan.


This tree of life quilt is a real classic. Found at Vintage Quilt Shop.


This target or pine burr quilt is from Laura Fisher Quilts.


The vintage bow tie quilt above is from Tex-Made.com. Nice photo too.


This lovely pink lone star quilt is from RickRack.com.


This exquisite quilt is from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum and found on Pinterest. Look at those 22 appliqued trees! This is a major achievement in applique and piecing! I think my Dad would have liked this one best because he appreciated precision and he favored the combination of red, green, and yellow. (Yes, little girls ask what colors people like best, and they remember the answer for decades, right?)

A bit about my Dad: He was a "people" person and related warmly to all kinds of people. He was also very good at math.  He could make any ordinary event into lots of fun. When I was a toddler we used to unpack grocery bags in our kitchen and take a little bite out of each thing. Haha. I don't think my Mom appreciated this, but I thought it was a real adventure. We made a game out of throwing pennies into a muffin tin that was propped up on a bed pillow while we stood at the foot of the bed. I got to jump on the bed too. And he made the most delicious apple pie and French toast. He could sing Christmas Carols in English and Latin. He used to put a satin blanket in the wheel barrel and put me on top of it and jog around the yard giving me a ride. He made an igloo for us one year. I think you get the idea. I'm so lucky, I know. My younger two sisters and brother enjoyed all these things too. As you can see, I could write a whole book about my Dad. I love remembering all these things.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Selvage Owl


This cute little selvage owl is the creation of jltstudio from central Ohio. It's listed on Etsy for $10. 
 Also on Etsy, a bag of selvage strips for sale by zizzybob in Florida for $6.50.



Saturday, July 27, 2013

Spider Web Selvage Quilt!


Take a look at this wonderful spider web selvage quilt! I found it on the Squares and Triangles blog. The selvages have lots of color. Note the bright orange binding too. I think it's the icing on the cake. Nice job!


Friday, July 26, 2013

OOAK Shoes


Haha, look at this one-of-a-kind shoe
It's the creation of  Sue Pearson of Mosaic Mache from Coos Bay, Oregon.
She started with a shoe and added paper mache. Now it's purely decorative. Wow!

Want to see another? How about a giraffe!


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

See My Candlestick Block on Quiltmaker's Block Network


This is one of the blocks that I made for Quiltmaker Magazine's 100 Blocks (shown below). Now it's featured on a Quiltmaker's Block Network video by June Dudley. Each week she'll feature a new block. They've come up with lots of different ways to use this block. Thanks, June!


Monday, July 22, 2013

Amy Smart's Star Quilt


Have you seen Amy Smart's blog: Diary of a Quilter? She used Jeni's Giant Star Tutorial to make this gift for her sister. Amy added the scrappy border which isn't included in the tutorial. 

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Amy used Kaufman's Quilter's Linen (not really linen, but it has subtle lines that give the look of linen) for the straw-colored background. I really like that. Great job, Amy!!

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Here's another cool idea from Amy: she's been saving pretty vintage plates to hang on a wall near her kitchen. Like designing a quilt! I love that plate with the green outer border. I hope she shows us the wall when they're hung.


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Carol's New Sunshine Quilt


Carol Eskola from Florida just finished her version of the Sunshine quilt. Each of the print fabrics was used only one time, so it's a charm quilt. Nice job, Carol!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Laugh Out Loud!


My friend Pam Stahl in Tennessee has this link on her blog Learning to Be Me. My DH and I had a good laugh. Take a look.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Camera Club Entries


These were my two entries in the Heritage Village Camera Club competition. There was no theme. The 3" tall motorcycle was placed on one of my novelty fabrics that looks like a map. It's not a real map but it's pretty. I call the first photo "Road Trip," and the photo below is "Turbo Shell." These are two decorations that I keep in my quilt room for inspiration. I missed the meeting, but will let you know how it went when I find out. I hope you are inside staying cool in this heat wave. 


Monday, July 15, 2013

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show





The Sisters, Oregon Outdoor Quilt Show was Saturday. I was in Oregon, but couldn't make it to the quilt show. Rats! It sure looks like it was fun. The photos above are from the "Pack Up the Car" blog. The photos below are from Jan Popa.



Do you wonder why the town is named "Sisters?" It's named for the nearby Three Sisters Mountains, shown below. Isn't it beautiful?


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Unique Tumbling Blocks Quilt


This unique tumbling blocks quilt is the work of Ann Moran. See more at Quilt Inspiration. I like how she repeated blocks of the same 3 colors horizontally across the quilt. Nice sharp contrast across the middle too.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

4 Puzzle Quilts


This puzzle quilt was exhibited at the Eureka Outdoor Quilt show in Eureka, Montana and featured on the Anna Lena Land blog. She has lots of great photos of the quilt show!

Here's another great puzzle quilt from Patchwork in the Desert


The puzzle quilt below is from the Derby Monster.


And finally, a beauty from Becky at My Fabric Obsession. Pattern is by The Pattern Basket.


I haven't made a puzzle quilt, but they look like a lot of fun. I think I like the last one best; the fabrics are beautiful and I like how crisp they look next to the solid white. And the little blocks along the binding are the perfect touch!






Friday, July 12, 2013

Glow Happy Lantern Quilt


Happy Zombie (Unsupervised and armed with really, really sharp sewing needles) has a free pattern for this pretty quilt. I love the retro fabrics and the little black embroidered tassels. 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Portrait Quilt from Twisted Sister


Haha! Take a look at the Twisted Sister blog by Jamie Fingal Designs to see more of this quilt. Who would ever think to put a teacup on their head? Nice gray hair too. Yayy, Jamie!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Audrey's Quilt


 Take a look at Audrey's post at Quilty Folk. She says she prefers traditional quilts to modern, but this looks delightfully modern to me. Wowee, I love this quilt!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Handkerchief Quilt


This handkerchief quilt was made by Sujata. You can see more about it here: Basket Full of Scraps.
Her other blog is: The Root Connection. You will love all the inspiration on these blogs!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Patsy Thompson's Amish Quilt


Warm Amish Heart quilt by Patsy Thompson. Follow the link to see how she marks her quilt for quilting.
Love the colors. Nice job, Patsy!


Sunday, July 7, 2013

Nifty Quilts Blog is Overflowing with Inspiration!



The Nifty Quilts Blog is one of my favorites and I had to post this link because it's overflowing with goodness lately. Scroll down to Older Posts too. Yup, that's Gwen Marston in the photo below. 
If you browse that blog, I guarantee you'll want to spend the rest of the day sewing!


Saturday, July 6, 2013

Giraffes Drinking Water

I never thought about what a giraffe would have to do to reach the water. Doesn't look too comfortable. I think I'd try to find a waterfall. Yes, I do have a sore knee today. Haha. 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Leaf-Tailed Gecko



What amazing camo! This is a leaf-tailed gecko. I bet even they lose their friends from time to time!