Thursday, March 31, 2011

My REALLY BIG DEAL Cathedral Window pillow

I made a Cathedral Window pillow. This is a big deal people. A really big deal.



My usual rationale for making a specific quilt is along the lines of - oh, that looks easy enough, I think I could do that, or I try to make up something similar that I think will be easy and invariably is not because I am making it up as I go.

So to decide, knowingly, to do something difficult, or at least difficult looking, was a bit daunting. But it is totally cool. I made it for my mom. (Isn't it funny that I still make things for my mom because, you know, she has to love it cuz her kid made it. Not that I wouldn't make things for my mom anyhow, but when I do I get that ego boost I need. Works every time.)

I really love it. And, of course, I learned a lot as I did it. In this instance it was my not quite accurate ironing that set the tone for the rest of it. But I did overcome. And that fantastic design element of the buttons, in just the right color, adding depth and texture, at the intersections had nothing to with covering up some not quite exactness. Nothing at all.

So as I was feeling the high of completion I made the comment that I never needed to do another one of those, I could cross it off my list. And my mother-in-law sighed a heavy sigh. So maybe one more......

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

King size quilt for our room

I have decided to do a quilt for our bed. It is a king size bed. I am insane. Actually I think I am insane x2. I just finished the top on a king size Christmas quilt. Okay, maybe not just. I did finish it in January and who knows when this will actually get posted. I had wanted to get it done for last Christmas, but that wasn't happening. Instead, I am really on top of things for next Christmas. And I started and finished the other one while I am still in progress on this one. Oh well.

The color and somewhat the style is based on this quilt I did for my BFF. I made one for us too while I was at it.

It actually did go from these piles of fabric to large squares all cut out. Now to lay it out and make all the 'critical' decisions that just make me freeze in the process. Straight setting or on point? Sashing? Cornerstones? I will invariably hate it as I am putting it all together. Not happy with the look, afraid I really won't like it when it is done. But I am learning to fight through all of those weird fears and just enjoy the process of taking some pretty cool fabric, cutting into little bits, then sewing it all back together again.




I will then have to figure out what the heck to do with two king quilt tops.....to make them magically become actual usable objects for our bed. Hmmm.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Isn't he cute?

This very fun wall hanging was a gift from my cousin (okay, cousin-in-law). It was for my birthday. Which was quite some time ago, but hey, I'm behind, just a bit. There is a whole series of these from Happy Apple Quilts, called Garden Patch Cats. This one is called the pumpkat. The designer must be a veggie-file, as well as a feline lover. She has a whole range of them. Very cute. I always wanted to do at least one. I don't think I could handle a slew of these but I am loving my pumpkin cat!


Isn't he cute?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

So hard to compete with

I saw this today. I'm pretty sure you can tell where it is from. So disappointed in the price. Is it just me or do you think this undermines the value of a 'real' quilt? Would you be able to produce something for $49?



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Guess what this is....part 2

0 by HRHGigi
0 a photo by HRHGigi on Flickr.

Although this will show up on screen in reverse order. Hmmm. Need to think this through next time. Here us the bed down and usable. (more to come later)

Guess what this is...

0 by HRHGigi
0 a photo by HRHGigi on Flickr.

It is a bed. THE bed. In all of it's folded up and away glory.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Room update - I can't beleive I'm going to show you this

So, remember back here when I said we were redoing the guest/sewing room? That was in Septemeber. And I asked for the bed for my birthday, which was in October. Well, it is now March, of the next year, and we aren't any closer. Oh, wait. We painted. And of course I can't find any pictures, although I'm pretty sure I took some. Well, you know my stellar photography skills wouldn't really do justice to the not quite blue, uh oh this looks purple, color of the walls. But we are leaving it. I bought the wall paint so long ago that I forgot why I picked that color. Serioulsy, why blue? Hmm. Oh well, we are going to work with what we've got and it will look beautiful when it is all done. Right now? Not so much.



As you can see in all its glory the room is a jumble of plastic storage bins with fabric, books, crafty things, a folding table, an ironing board and lord knows what else is in there. Oh yeah, Christmas was in this room too. You know - the staging area for Christmas where everything gets stashed. Not very inspiring or creative. But I have been getting some things done. The one huge benefit to the room the way it is is that I have an entire blank wall to use as a design wall. It is awesome! (Aside from the junk.)




We really do have a good excuse for the delay. In this room and in the living room, both on the front of the house, the carpet smells musty. And that is kind of an uh-oh situation. So it took us a while to figure it out. The verdict is that we have a bit of a standing water situation at the front of the house so it is seeping in through the slab. We have been taking care of that and now think we are fine. All this was happening close to the holidays. We knew we needed to peel back the carpet, replace the tack strips and pad, then put the carpet back down and clean it. But no way was that going to happen with a 7' Christmas Tree in the corner. So we waited. The man has finished the living room and now the guest room needs to be done. It is just a matter of finding a few Bug-less hours for him to get at it.

Then we can continue down the road of putting the bed in place. And now we have a deadline. My BFF is coming to visit for a weekend at the end of March. And it better be nice and pretty by then.....

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Rag Numbers! Finally



So I finally got my rag numbers done. I only did three sets this time. Still a very cute project and one I recommend for a wide variety of ages.




I had originally done rag letters for all the kids in our group. I got the tutorial from Happy Together - such a fun blog.