Rebecca's Rags

WIP it out Wednesday

2012-03-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

This week I'm working on new wave quilt #2 for my Mother-in-law. I have #1 all done and ready to be basted and quilted, but decided to piece #2 before tackling that.

Then I can reward myself with making block number 8 for the swoon along. Two more blocks and I can piece that top.

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I have four finished quilt tops waiting to be quilted, and working on two more. Can you tell which part of quilting I dislike the most? Not the quilting itself, but the pin basting that has to be done before you can quilt. For those of you not familiar with that step, it entails me moving furniture to get a big enough space to layout my quilts, then crawling around on the floor for 2-4 hours pinning the three layers that make up the quilt together. Afterwords, my back, knees, and fingers all hurt. But the end result is having a beautiful handmade quilt, that I have made entirely, 100 percent myself, and that is very rewarding. Saying that I might pay someone to quilt my swoon quilt, because it's going to be a big one!

WIP it out Wednesday

2012-02-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

Today's Work in Progress, (WIP), is one of two twin size new wave quilts for my Mother-in-law. She lives on the coast, and I thought a pair of new wave quilts would be perfect. I like the blues and yellows, they remind me of the ocean on a sunny day. I'm hoping to have this one finished by next week, wish me luck!

Bee blocks, and a pincushion finish

2012-02-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

First up are three bee blocks for Leigh of leedle deedle quilts, this is for the Bee Tweet bee on flickr. Leigh sent an amazing fabric selection in blues and greens and asked us all to make 1/4 log cabins for her. I was able to make three blocks, and I love the way they turned out.

January was my month in this bee, and as soon as I get all my blocks, I will show you the awesomeness that the group did for me:-)

Next up is a pincushion that I made as part of the Bee a {Modern} Swapper group on flickr. This group combines a quilting bee, and a swap group all in one. One month you make bee blocks, the next you swap an item. February was the first month for the group, and we are swapping pincushions. I chose a cute Heather Ross bicycle print, and paired it with some orange and purples.

I left the salvage on the backing fabric, I love me a little salvage:-) I filled it with some batting scraps, and added rice to weigh it down a little. I like my pincushions a little on the heavy side so I don't send them flying across the desk every time I stick a pin in them.

I have a couple more projects to tell you about, so check back tomorrow, or Wednesday to see them.

Wave of Love quilt

2012-02-23T18:23:00.001-08:00

This is the quilt I made for my daughter. I'm calling this the "Wave of Love" quilt, because I used the new wave quilt tutorial from oh, Fransson!, and because the fabric I used Is Amy Butler's Love collection. Makes perfect sense to me.

I quilted it very simply, just straight lines following the contours of the quilt.

And for the back I used all one print from the Love collection. I really love this quilt, and so does my daughter. If you have been thinking of making one of these quilts, you should do it, and do it NOW. The tutorial is great, and it goes together really fast. I love this pattern so much I'm currently making two more, but twin size this time. I'll show them off in a few days.

WIP it out Wednesday

2012-02-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

O'boy I have a ton of projects going on at the moment. I will slowly fill you in one at a time so you don't get as overwhelm as I feel at the moment. First I'm participating in the Swoonalong that I'm A Ginger Monkey started over on Flickr. These are my five blocks so far, and today I will be making number six.

I chose my favorite two fabrics for this block, the very best red ever made from American Jane's Peas and Carrots, and the blue basket weave from the Katie Jump Rope collection. Love these two together! I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I promise to show you more of what I'm working on, plus I never showed you the whole completed "Wave of Love" quilt I made for my daughter. So check back tomorrow, or Friday and I'll show it to you.

Quilting is done

2012-01-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

So I met my One Thing One Week challenge this week. I finished the quilting on my daughter's new wave quilt. I am loving it! So now to get that binding attached.

One Thing One Week Challenge

2012-01-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

Amy is starting up her One Thing One Week challenge. And I said to myself, self this is just what you need. And self said to myself, blah blah blah I've heard it before stay focused blah blah blah don't start a ton of projects blah blah blah, and then I said to myself, but you NEED this. Well this went on for a while, but I finally gave in and committed to this challenge. This week I will be focusing on getting my daughters New Wave quilt sandwiched, and quilted. Here is a picture of the finished top.

Isn't it just beautiful? The sad part is it's been draped over the back of a chair along with the pieced back for a month, actually it might be longer than a month. Well this week I am determined to get at least the quilting finished, and then next week I can focus on the binding. Wish me luck.

2011-12-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know me and my family did!! I've been busy the last couple of days trying to clean up this mess, and find room to put all the new stuff.

I've been spending time playing with my new toy!

And spending time with these three.

I hope you finish off 2011 surrounded by the people you love.

New wave quilt WIP

2011-12-01T10:42:00.001-08:00

New wave quilt WIP
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

Finally getting my daughter's quilt pieced! It should be finished by the time she gets home in a couple of weeks. I must stay focused and not get distracted with other things, which is really hard!

Sail Away baby quilt

2011-11-10T09:55:00.001-08:00

The baby quilt for one of my son's teachers. Her nursery is nautical themed, so I made a little sailboat baby quilt. Love the pops of red. I got all the fabric from the lovely Jennifer, and Janet of Lola Pink Fabrics. They have an awesome selection, and super fast shipping, and they are two of the nicest women I know!

I free motion quilted it in a loopy pattern. Love me some loops!

Here is the label with the little guys name, and the mom's favorite quote.

I used an ultra soft flannel for the backing. It is super soft and warm.

Love this quilt!

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-11-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Binding, Binding, Binding, get your binding going, RAW-HIDE!! Don't really know why I'm singing that, but for some reason it gets my butt in gear to finish.

Today I will be sewing the binding on this baby quilt. I can't wait to show you the finished quilt, LOVE IT!!

So what are you working on this week?

I've got class

2011-11-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Or at least I hope I do. As I've mentioned before I will be teaching a class, so now I get to share all the details with you.

Place mats! These are the practice place mats I made for myself.

Four are pictured, but I actually made six for myself, (I wanted to make sure I had it right before cutting into Katie's fabric)

And here are the two I made for Katie. Don't you love them?

These place mats are fast and easy, which makes them great for Christmas, weddings, or as a last minute house warming gift.

Here are all the details for the class:

This Saturday November 12

10:30 am to 12:30 pm

At:

Sew Katie Jean

603 5th Street

Lincoln, CA 95648

(916)209-3930

If you are in the Sacramento/Northern California area this weekend stop by and see us. Hope to see you there!

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-11-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Only one WIP this week! Can you believe it? One of my son's teachers is having a baby boy, and I volunteered to make her a baby quilt as a class gift. Well when I turned the calender to November yesterday, I realized I only had two weeks before she goes on maternity leave. I will be working on this, and only this, until it's finished.

What are you working on this week?

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-10-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Before I show my works in progresses, (WIP's), I wanted to share another finish! This bee block is for Amy, of amylouwhosews. It is for our Bee Tweet bee. Her month was August, and yes I'm just now finishing it, sorry Amy, but it is now in the mail and on it's way.

Which brings me to my first WIP's of the week. These are months September and October of the Bee Tweet bee. I hate playing catch-up, but I can't travel back in time so well I'm playing catch-up. I really hope to have these guys finished before November's show up!

Next I'm making a couple samples for a class that I'm teaching. WHAT, what was that you say? I'm teaching a class? Yes I am going to be teaching a class, which is pretty scary, which means I need to get my ~~shit~~ stuff, (first rule is no potty mouth), together and get it done! I will give all the details on the class when I get my samples finished.

And lastly I can start piecing my daughter's quilt. So what are you working on this week?

Finally a Finish!

2011-10-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

Look at that, a finished quilt. It's been months since I've had one of those around here! This beauty is going to be shipped off to my mom and dad's, where it will live on their bed. I was not overjoyed with this quilt while working on it, but once finished I do love it. I can't wait to see it in it's new home.

And here is the backside. I used some Pat Bravo fabric for the back, and man, I wish it was around when I started this project because I would have used some in the front of this quilt.

And another look at the front. Finished size 92"x103", machine pieced and quilted by me, 9 months from start to finish, (I worked on several projects while working on this quilt, if I would have just concentrated on this, I would have finished in half the time).

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

This week I will be putting the binding on my mom and dad's quilt. The last step, then this thing will be off my back and out of my house!! I must say I like this quilt more after quilting it, and I think it will look beautiful on their bed. I will show you the whole thing once it's all done.

Then I will be working on my Bee Tweet blocks. I have three months of blocks to make! I hate being late, it has to be my biggest pet peeve, and here I am two months behind and if I don't get busy I'll be three months behind.

Then I can get back to my daughter's quilt. I'm almost done cutting, and the top should go together pretty quickly. I can't wait to start working on it.

So what are you working on this week?

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-09-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Nothing sewing related to show you this week. I've been rearranging my daughter's bedroom so that I can sew in it. I need a space of my own, where I can leave all my stuff out and no one cares. So since she's back to college and not currently living here, I moved in.

Here is my main sewing desk, nice and big, lots of space to do some major quilting and sewing! I would really like a different chair, but for now this works.

My two little doll quilts, one day I hope to have a wall full of them. The vintage Necchi sewing machine I found at Goodwill for $30.00.

My fabric shelf, still in the process of getting all my fabric moved in. The only down side, my husband will be able to see how much fabric I have, and if I add any to it.

My temporary cutting table. This is not going to cut it for long. My friend Tiffany from Another Pie in the Sky suggested a 6 foot folding table that she purchased at Wal Mart, she added some risers to make it a comfortable height for cutting fabric. I think it's a great idea, and as soon as I can make it over to wally world I'm checking it out.

My daughters small desk. I don't like sewing on this desk it's to small and kinda cramped. I put my smaller Janome over there, if I have a quilt on my Juki, and I need to work on another sewing project I wont have to switch things around. I'm also working on putting up a design wall I'll share that when it's finished.

Hopefully I'll have some actual sewing projects to share soon.

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-09-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wow after taking a couple months off for summer, I'm back with my weekly "WIP it out Wednesday" post. Just as a refresher, WIP stands for work, (or works because I can never just have one project going on at a time), in progress. So on Wednesday's I share my projects that I will be working on for the week. Sometimes I finish a project that week, and sometimes that project drags on for months! This first wip falls into the latter category. I'm piecing the backing for my mom and dad's quilt. For some reason it has taken me forever to get the quilt finished, I'm not sure why. But this is the week I will get this thing finished! I'm using the lovely fabric above for the backing and binding, both are from Patricia Bravo for Art Gallery fabrics, and they are lovely!

And when I need a break from quilting and binding, I will be cutting into this lovely stack of pretties. This will be a quilt for my daughter. She goes back to school, her second year at UC Santa Barbara, in two weeks. Will I have this finished before she leaves? Stay tuned to find out, and if you could say a prayer for speedy sewing I will love you forever!

So what are you working on this week?

Farmer's Wife week 1

2011-06-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have given in to the Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long. The book is amazing with so many wonderful letters from actual farmer's wives in the 20's. Even if you aren't a quilter the letters, that give you a peek into their lives, are amazing. It makes me wish for a simpler time and place.

But back to the quilt-a-long, the idea is to make two blocks a week, which is a very reasonable pace. You can start anytime and make more than two if you wish. I decided to make mine more modern by using a very modern fabric, the "Plume" line by Tula Pink for Moda fabrics.

I'm choosing to go in order starting with block #1 and ending with block #111, yes block #111, did I mention this is a LONG term quilting project. Some participants are mixing it up and making whatever block they feel like making that week. I would get confused and end up forget what I had already made, or I would make all the easy ones, and never make the hard ones, so in order I will go.

Block #1 is Attic Windows and

block #2 is Autumn Tints. I have already made #3, but it's a basket block, and that means appliqueing the handle on and I have not attempted that yet. As soon as I get that handle on I will show you.

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-06-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on the purple quilt for my mom and dad. One more border and it will be finished!

I thought a yellow, so here is the yellow I have. I like the bottom one, but of course I don't have enough. So off to the fabric store I go, but said fabric store is out, so back home I head. With fingers crossed I turn the computer on, and YES, it's there, so I place my order, and hope it gets here quickly. I'm pretty sure I will have the top completed to show off next week.

And I finished Darci's bee blocks. One big wonky star,

and four small wonky stars. Love the way they turned out, don't you? I never would have thought to use green, but I'm glad Darci did, because they look fabulous!

I also started my Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, but that will have to be a separate post. Check back to see Tula Pink as a Farmer's Wife:)

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-06-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

This week I will be making some wonky stars for Darci for our Bee Tweet Bee,

and working on my mom and dad's quilt that should have been finished months ago,

and finally I will be starting on the farmer's wife quilt-a-long.

That should keep me pretty busy. So what are you working on?

Yes I did finish:)

2011-06-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

I did finish my naked bed quilt on time:) I super love it, and now just have to get it quilted!

Here it is from another angle. This quilt measures 118"x 118" which will be a perfect fit for my king size bed. I think I might send this one to be long-arm quilted since I'm not looking forward to pin basting this beast!

But you never know, maybe I'll just bite the bullet, and do it myself.

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-06-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm going to wip out a king size quilt top this week. WHAT, am I crazy you ask? Nope, I am going to cut up a bunch of squares, and sew them back together to make a quilt for MY bed. And I'm going to do this in a few days, at least that's the plan. I am finally going to dress my naked bed. I, like so many other quilters, do not have a handmade quilt on my bed, but that is going to change. This is in participation of the Naked Bed Challenge being hosted by Sarah Fielke on her blog. In case you don't know, Sarah is coauthor of the Material Obsession books, and I was inspired by one of her quilts. It is a simple patchwork quilt that is filled with her favorite fabrics. With all of the beautiful quilts she has created she said that one is her favorite and that's the one on her bed. Well that pile of American Jane fabric up there is some of my favorite fabrics, and I have been hoarding them for no good reason! So yesterday I decided that I was going to create me a quilt out of my favorite fabric, that can live on my bed, and I can enjoy it everyday! I will be able to roll around on my favorite fabric everyday, and it might give me a reason to actually make my bed!

And to prove that I do complete things, and not just start them, here are some bee blocks. These are going to Erin, of "two more seconds". On a side note, how cute is that name? I mean how many times have you been right in the middle of something, (sewing), and someone, (one of the kids), wants something, (how many times a day do they need to eat?), and you tell them "jut two more seconds"? Very cute name! So any how it's Erin's month in our Bee Tweet Bee, and she sent some happy scraps to make blocks kinda like the blocks created by Aneela Hoey of "comfortstitching". Love the way these turned out, and I can't wait to see them all put together!

And finally, Trystan, of "Lavender Lane Creations, and I had a little star swap. She had made some super cute stars, and I told her how cute they were, so she said she would make me a few, and I told her I would make her some too. Well she was very quick in making mine, and two months later I just got her's finished. But now they are on their way, and in about 10 day's they will be on the other side of the world in Australia!

That's all for now, as soon as I make progress on my quilt I will show you:)

I Am Done!

2011-05-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the really crappy iPhone picture. The hubs had the camera, and it was pouring down rain so I couldn't take the quilt outside. I needed to get it in the mail so I had to make do with what I had.

But I am done!!! I love how this quilt turned out, my sister-in-law, and brother-in-law love it, and I'm hoping the recipient, Ashley loves it.

The stats:

Started: April 4, 2011 (or somewhere there abouts)

Finished: May 16, 2011

Finished Size: 83"x 99"

I used Erin's block tutorial, basically, the only difference is I made my pieced strip blocks 10", and then I cut my half square triangles into 6.5" blocks, this gave me a perfect 12.5" finished block. I hope I explained that right, if not just leave me a comment, and I will try and clarify:)

And here is the backside. FYI if you make a quilt, I love to see the back. For me the back usually gives me the most problems, so I love to see what other quilters do for their backings.

Now it's time for me to get caught up on my bee blocks, and fun little swaps I have committed to doing. After I get those loose ends tied up, I WILL be making a quilt for my bed!!!!

I love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my latest quilt:)

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-04-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

This week I will be working on finishing this beautiful quilt. I keep calling it the purple people eater, but I think it needs a better name than that. If anyone has that special gift for naming quilts, could you please help me out here, I seriously lack creativity in that area.

Back to my plan for the week. I need to:

1. Buy backing fabric

2. Piece said backing

3. Make a label

4. Make my quilt sandwich

5. Quilt the quilt

6. Make binding

7. Attach binding

8. Wash and dry the finished quilt

9. Take pictures of the awesome finished quilt

10. Drink a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the finished quilt

11. Mail it to my SIL

Lets see how many things I get crossed of that list:)

My Thrift Store Find

2011-04-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I had a few minutes to kill before picking up my youngest from school, so I popped into the Goodwill store. This is not unusual, I often visit Goodwill with high hopes of finding some vintage Pyrex, or maybe some cool vintage sheets that I can cut up, and use to make an awesome quilt. Sometimes I dream of stumbling across a vintage coach purse that someone unknowingly donated and I can snatch it up for $5. I have to say none of these things have ever happened. In all my trips to the good o'l Goodwill store, I have never bought anything. That is until last Tuesday. As I was wondering up and down the rows of stuff nobody wanted anymore, I found this.

This beautiful Necchi sewing machine. Now I knew it was old, and probably worth more than the $30.00 price tag on it, but I wasn't sure. So I sent a quick tweet out with a picture attached to see if any of my quilty/sewing friends knew if this was a good deal, (don't you just love technology?). Well Laura responded right away and said that it was so pretty I had to buy it. Then Deanna told me that it was a great deal, and I should, without a doubt buy it. So of course I listened to them, and now it's sitting on my dining room table:)

It came with all the attachments, and instruction books, and I must say this thing does so much that it's a little scary. I haven't had much time to play with it. And, before I try doing to much sewing on it, I should take it in for a good cleaning. But I gotta say I'm still pretty impressed that I was able to find something as cool as this! I will be making more trips to Goodwill in the future:)

If any of you out there are sewing machine experts, I would love to hear what you think of my find.

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-04-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

This week's WIP is the purple quilt for my sister-in-law. I have used the block tutorial by Erin of "two more seconds". I used this block for my 3x6 bee blocks, and fell in LOVE with it, and decided to use it for a whole quilt! All I did was gather up twelve, one yard cuts of fabric; cut those into strips ranging from 1.5"- 3"x width of the fabric; sew them together to about 10" wide segments; then cut them into 10" squares. Go look at Erin's tutorial for the rest of the story:)

So now the question is do I leave them all un-sashed like this?

Sash them in a light gray, or maybe even white?

Or maybe sash them in a dark gray? I'm leaning towards un-sashed, or dark gray, but I want to hear your opinion. So leave me a comment and let me know what you think looks better. Also leave me a comment if you try Erin's block, you should probably leave her a comment too letting her know how brilliant she is:)

Come back tomorrow to see my amazing thrift store find from last week!

New WIP

2011-03-22T16:20:00.001-07:00

New WIP
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

Here is my WIP it out Wednesday post a day early:)
I'm getting ready to cut into this yummy bunch of fabric so stay tuned to see what I do with it. I think it's going to be amazing, (at least it looks amazing in my head!).

DONE!

2011-03-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

Look at that. I finished. I'm so proud of myself:)

And it is FANTASTIC, if I do say so myself! And I'm giving it away. I'm so nice, but I really want to keep it for myself. I mean see how lovely it look hanging on my daughter's wall. I will have to make another one. No doubt about it, ASAP, or as soon as I finish up some other projects:)

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-03-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

I'm almost done with my doll quilt for the DQS10 over on flickr. I decided on this yellow Saffron Craig print for the binding. It looks like a touch of sunshine, and since it's all cloudy and rainy here today, I need a touch of sunshine:) I'm going to go out on a limb here,and say that I will have pictures of this FINISHED doll quilt tomorrow! Stay tuned.

And still working on my mom and dad's quilt. I have a new plan of attack for this one. If you remember I don't have enough of that solid green to do my original plan, so as my motto goes, I am going to "make it work", (thank you Tim Gunn). This won't be done tomorrow, but I am making considerable progress. I really hope this thing turns out the way it looks in my head:)

So what are you working on this Wednesday?

Sunday Stash 2/27/11

2011-02-27T11:17:00.001-08:00

Sunday Stash 2/27/11
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

Some more pretty purples. I'm planning a purple quilt for my Sister-in-law's niece. She is graduating from the Air Force Academy in May, and my SIL wants to give her a quilt as a graduation gift. Her favorite color is purple, so now I'm on the hunt for every purple I can find. Do you have a favorite purple? If so leave me a comment so I can add it to my purple stash.

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-02-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been sick. So while sitting on the couch resting, I did some hand quilting on my doll quilt. This is only the second time I've attempted hand quilting, and I have learned two things. One, I need to learn how to hide my knots. I am hopelessly horrible at this. The back of my quilt is a knotty mess, (not to be confuses with a naughty mess, which it is not). But I love the front, so I'm going with the "it's the back of the quilt which is going to be hung on a wall and no one will see it" attitude. And the second thing I have learned is that I need a better thimble. The one I am using is not cutting it, but I've been sick, so no running around shopping for a new thimble for me until my head clears a bit. So what do you think of my hand quilting? Do you care about the back? Do you have any tips on knot hiding? Do you have a favorite thimble that I MUST have? Please leave me a comment, and let me know what you're thinking.

And I've made some more blocks for my mom and dad's quilt. 30 blocks down, and 60 more to go. You see that solid green, I need more of it. I bought that from my local quilt shop that was closing, and of course I don't have enough to complete my project. It's a marcus brothers solid. I don't know the color, because you know why would I go through the trouble of actually LOOKING, and REMEMBERING the color. I haven't done an all out search yet, but I did a little online search and came up empty. So if anyone out there knows of a source for me let me know. Or maybe if anyone has a kona color card that might be able to match me up with a kona solid that would work too.

WIP it out Wednesday

2011-02-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

This week I'm working on the king size quilt for my mom and dad. I'm really liking how these blocks are coming together, and I think it's going to be a beautiful quilt when it's all finished. It can get a little boring working on the same thing all the time, so I've also been working on my doll quilt for DQS10 over on flickr.

I'm almost done, just the quilting left, but that's where I'm stuck. You see I have no idea how to quilt this. Do I just outline the circles a few times, and stitch in the ditch on the coins? Do I quilt straight or wonky straight lines over the entire thing? I would like to do some pebble quilting in the white parts, but I've never tried that before, and do I really want this to be my first attempt at that? So I'm asking for your input. How should I quilt this? Just leave me a comment, all suggestions are welcome:) I would also love to hear what your working on this week, and please tell me I'm not the only one who has quilting ADD, and has to have multiple projects going on at once:) Can't wait to hear from you!

Sunday Stash January 16, 2011

2011-01-16T13:47:00.001-08:00

Sunday Stash January 16, 2011
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

The beginnings of a king size bed quilt for my mom and dad. Not my usual color combination, but I like getting out of my color box every now and then. I'm using a traditional quilt block for this quilt, and hopefully I will have enough made by Wednesday to show you how it's coming along:)

My Crafty year, by the numbers

2010-12-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

1: Bunting

2: Doll Quilts

3: Burp Cloths

4: Pillow Shams, and 4 quilts

5: Rag Quilts, only 3 are pictured I must have forgotten to take pictures of the other 2:(

6: Mug Rugs

7: Sunday Stashes:

8: Swaps and Bees

9: I've got nothing for nine, sorry.

10: Placemats, the first picture is the pile of unfinished placemats for my mom, I did finish them and there are four of them:)

So there is a summary of my crafty year:) I have lots more planned for 2011, I can't wait to get started! Looking back I need to improve my photo taking skills, and possible get a better camera, man some of those pictures a BAD! I would love to hear from you, let me know what you created this year:)

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-12-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

Today I will be working on some bee blocks. Unfortunately these are the bee blocks that were due in September, (sorry beehive 7). I only have two more to finish, then I can work on the six that are due in December. I have being late, but I am determined to finish what I started!

I will also be taking care of a sicky boy. He isn't deathly ill, just a bit under the weather, but I thought it best for him to stay home from school and get some rest. I have a feeling he will be bouncing off the walls by this afternoon.

What are you working on today?

Umm Hi, Do I Still Have Any Readers?

2010-11-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

So I've been a bit absent from my blog lately. I will give you a glimpse of what's been going on around here. That picture above is the "before" picture of my master bathroom. This picture was taken the morning before demolition. Everyone say "blah":)

That is after demolition. Nothing but the bones left my friends. And then they worked on putting it back together. It took a bit longer than expected, (by about three weeks), but that's ok sometimes things just take longer than expected.

We celebrated Halloween. My little guy up there was the only one of my kids that dressed up this year. Well actually that might not be entirely correct, my daughter who is away at college in Santa Barbara, probably dressed up. I don't know for sure what she did for Halloween, and I don't think I want to know, I'm happy in my ignorance. And, after about three weeks, my bathroom was finished.

I am so happy with how it all turned out. There were times during the construction when I sat and stared at the mess, and HATED it. I was second guessing the tile choices, I couldn't decide on a paint color, I was sick of having people in and out of my house. But after everything was finished, and I found the right paint, and the mess was all cleaned up, I LOVE it.

And it was finished in time to have the house put back together for Thanksgiving. Here are me and my kids getting ready to enjoy the day together, hubby is taking the picture. My daughter has been gone for two months so having her home, even if it was just for four days, was nice.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hello, Is Anyone There?

2010-10-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Where have I been and what have I been doing? Well I'm glad you asked.

First I have made and received wonderful things for the { Urban } HOME Goods - a modern swap

This is the bunting that I made.

Along with this mini quilt. My partner was the beautiful Meagan Kay, aka meg_kay77 on flickr. She also blogs at EdanRose. She was a fantastic partner, and I hope that she is enjoying the items that I made for her.

And I received a wonderful package from Casey King, aka Love Casey on flickr

A fantastic set of tea towels, and a table runner. Love those hexies! Casey blogs at Love, Casey

Then we did this.

Packed up my daughter to send her off to college! That would be all her worldly possessions, (minus the 24 tee shirts, 46 pairs of socks, 13 pairs of pants, and 5 pairs of shoes that I would not let her take).

Here she is all moved into her dorm room, everyone wave and say "hi" to Baily. And that would be her roommate Meagan, who is her friend from high school. How lucky are they, they don't have to worry about living with a weird stranger for a whole year, they already know each other, and their weirdness:) And that's Dad making sure that she's all settled in before we leave her.

Here's their view, ah I feel sorry for them, they have to be in this dump for the next four years!

And then I had to get this one cleaned up to go to homecoming. We had to go shopping, have a haircut, buy a flower. I think it costs the same getting a boy ready for a dance as it does a girl, the difference is he will wear this again someday. My daughter on the other hand has about $1,500 worth of dresses in her closet that she will only wear once!

Here's Jarrett and his date for the evening. Wave and say "hi" to Jarrett and Summer.

Then I went back to sewing. I made this baby rag quilt for a lovely lady expecting her first baby. Mom and Dad are not finding out the sex of the baby before the birth, so I had to keep it gender neutral. She is Hawaiian, and he is a surfer, they split their time between San Diego, and Cobo San Lucas, Mexico, I asked if they wanted to adopt me, but I'm too old!

And then one morning we woke up to discover a leak from our upstairs master bathroom. The hubby pushed on the squishy ceiling, and made a nice hole. So now we are getting ready for a master bathroom renovation. I guess no fabric for me for a while.

So I made some mug rugs. What's a mug rug you ask? Well a mug rug is a big coaster, so you have room for a little snack to go along with your beverage. Genius I say! I sent off two of the above mug rugs as part of a swap, and I'm giving the other's to my daughter. I figured she could use one as a mug rug, and one as a mouse pad.

And this is the mug rug I received along with the polka dot mug. I LOVE my mug, and my rug!

And finally I finished the two football rag quilts. They were hand delivered this morning!

Man, that was a monster post, with so many pictures, I hope you enjoyed it! Now that you're all caught up on my activities, it's time to go make something so I have something to show you next week.

WIP it Out Wednesday

2010-09-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

This week I will be working on three custom order rag quilts. That's right I'm going back to my roots with some ragging this week. I'm looking forward to doing a little something different. The first will be a baby quilt with a beach/surfing theme, these are the fabrics I will be using.

Mom and Dad will not be finding out the gender of the baby prior to his/hers entrance into this world so everything is going to be gender neutral. I think some nice primary colors with some soft chenille will be a winning combo.

And next will be two quilts for some football boys. Man is it hard finding some good boy fabric! These boys need good strong boy fabric, not wimpy little baby fabric . They are football players they need football quilts that will show their team pride, and keep them soft and warm! So this is what I found.

Their team's colors are maroon and black, so I picked out an assortment of plaids stripes, and solids along with some footballs. I think this will do the job wonderfully!

So what do you have going on this week?

Hexagon Quilt

2010-09-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, all I can say is WOW! What a beauty this is, and I have Julie from Jaybird Quilts to thank. If not for her amazing instruction during the Old Red Barn Co.'s quilt-a-long, I would not have been able to create this beauty.

I love the red and aqua color palette, and the charcoal grey really makes the hexagons pop. I used a black and white stripe for the binding, and I think it's the perfect finishing touch for this quilt.

I used "Confections" by Robert Kaufman for the backing, and those cherries are just too cute! I did a very simple outline quilting which makes for a soft and fluffy quilt.

I still haven't settled on a name yet, but I'm sure one will come to me eventually:)

WIP it out Wednesday, and some finishes!

2010-09-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today, during my five year old's soccer practice, I will be sewing down the binding on my hexagon quilt. I have had a few name suggestions, the most recent being "Sexy Hexie". I have to say that this is what I want to name my quilt, but Amy Butler has a quilt pattern with that same name, and even though I don't think she'll hunt me down for copyright infringement, I wouldn't feel very original using that name either. Right now I'm leaning towards "Cherries Jubilee" unless I get a better suggestion.

And this week I will be working on my second project for the {Urban} Home Goods Swap. This is the beginning of a quilted wall hanging made with the fabulous "Wonderland" fabric line, (I love this fabric!). I'm a tad bit worried about this because it doesn't coordinate with my first item for the swap. After reading that not everyone is coordinating their items, I decided to go ahead as planned, but if there are any veteran home goods swappers out there let me know your opinion please.

And now for some finishes! My "Tula Twirl" quilt is done, yeah me!! I'm loving this quilt, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but I'm loving it!!

And finally my first item for the Home Goods Swap. This is my first time making a bunting, but it is easy easy. I followed this tutorial, and it was done in no time. Now you can see how my projects aren't coordinating, so tell me what you think.

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-08-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

The hexagons are getting quilted! This ones coming along nicely. I'm loving the quilting so far, and can't wait to get it all finished.

The "Tula Twirl" is undergoing the final details before it's big unveiling. So check back, I'm sure to have at least one finished quilt to show off by the end of the week:)

P.S. I still don't have a name for the hexagon quilt, your ideas are NEEDED, this one might be doomed for a nameless existence if you don't help!

Alert Alert!

2010-08-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

You must go to Heather's blog, she is having a heck of a giveaway!! Like an "OMG, I can't believe she is giving that away" kind of a giveaway. Like a, "I HAVE to have one of those" kind of a giveaway. So go and enter, and good luck, (But not too much luck, because I'm really hoping to win it myself), but good luck:)

And it starts!

2010-08-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten!!!

The big time, everyday, homework, projects, library books, school plays, fundraisers, back to school night, open house, parent conferences, report cards, reading, writing, arithmetic, PTC, classroom volunteering. I know I probably missed lots more, but it all starts today for this little guy, (and me).

My youngest starts his school journey today. Before I know it we will be sending him off to college, so I will enjoy each year, I will savor it all, because it goes by very fast!

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-08-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten around to quilting my Tula Pink pinwheel quilt. I'm calling this one the "Tula Twirl". I decided to do a heavy loopy quilting in the grey sashing strips, and then just a simple outline, or "stitching in the ditch" of the pinwheels. I really want the focus to be on the amazing fabric, and not so much on the quilting. I will post pictures as soon as it's all finished.

And I have my Hexagon quilt all ready to be quilted too!! I don't have a name yet for this one, so if any of you have a good name just let me know:) My plan is to keep the quilting simple on this one too. The centers of the hexagons are a bit bulky, (lots of seams coming together there), and I think it will be a little tricky quilting over them. So, just a simple outlining of the hexagons will work wonderfully I believe.

What are you working on this week?

Hexagon Quilt Top

2010-08-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well I have my hexagon quilt top completed!! I need to get moving on the quilting because I have a week of starts, my oldest son starts high school, and my youngest starts soccer, and that means I will need something to keep my hands busy while away from home. I think hand sewing the binding on this quilt should be first in line. I have one other unfinished quilt top ready to be quilted , and one more quilt in progress, and a whole list of quilts dying to get made.

I'm also participating in the { Urban } HOME Goods swap over on flickr this swap is organized by the amazing duo of Heather, and Kerri, so I'm in full stalker mode trying to come up with the most perfect home good items to make for my partner. I think I have a fairly good idea of what to make, my problem is that I would love to make everything on their list, and I know I don't have time to. So I guess I will just start sewing, and see what gets done before the deadline.

So keep checking back for my progress on by current projects, and starts of new ones;)

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-08-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Man it seems like forever since I've been here! Busy summer, but it's coming to an end very soon, maybe too soon.

This week I am going to finish this hexagon quilt! I have three more rows to go, so I'm hoping to have a finished quilt top by Friday. Wish me luck;)

Because I missed yesterday

2010-07-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

I missed my "WIP it out Wednesday" post yesterday, so I'm sharing with you today. I spent the entire day yesterday playing with my hexagons for Julie, (aka jaybird quilts), quilt-a-long. I think it's coming along nicely, and I hope to have a finished quilt top for you sometime next week.

And I'm keeping right on track for Crazymom Quilts quilt-a-long.

So what are you working on this week?

One crossed off my list!

2010-06-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

This quilt is for my niece, Hayden. It feels so nice to get this one crossed off the list, now I just have to get it in the mail, which is a tough step sometimes.

Hopefully I will have some more finishes this week, like some placemats......

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-06-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

So not a completed quilt, but almost. I have one side left to bind, a quick wash and dry, and then DONE! Pictures as soon as it's finished.

Crazymom quilt's quilt-a-long, it's all about cutting this week. All those strips above need to be cut into 2.5" segments, I will end up with 490 of them. Not very glamorous, but necessary, and when this quilt is finished I think it will be my fave!

And jaybird's quilt-a-long, I've said it before, but I'm really behind on this one. Most everyone participating are already done, but I'm chugging along. I have all my strips sewn together, and I need to cut them into 60 degree triangles, so that they can be pieced back together as hexagons.

So it looks like this week will be heavy on the cutting, and not so much time spent at the sewing machine;) I would love to know what you're working on. Leave me a comment letting me know how many projects you've got going. Please tell me I'm not the only one with about five different projects going at once!

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-06-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have all the dresden's made for my mom's placemats, yeah! I still have to attach them to the background fabric, and get them all put together, but that shouldn't take to long. Look for finished placemat pictures next week!

Next up are hexagons for Jaybird's quilt-a-long. I have all my strips cut, so it's time to sew them up, cut my 60 degree triangles, and sew them back together as hexagons. This one's going to take me a little longer, so I don't think I will have a completed quilt top for you next week. I should, however, have more hexagons to show you, and a possible layout. Stay tuned for that.

Next is Crazymom quilt's quilt-a-long. I am all up-to-date on that one, (for once), and here is what we did this week. Well we actually did more that that one square, there are 124-21x2.5 inch strips cut, plus a bunch of other strips in various sizes. We have done some sewing, and cutting, and more sewing to get that square. Since the next step won't be up until next Monday, I wont be doing anymore sewing on this until then. Check back next Wednesday to see how this one progresses.

I finally have my niece's quilt pin basted, and ready for quilting. It has taken me forever to get this far, but for anyone who has ever spent several hours crawling around on the floor, smoothing, taping, layering, smoothing, taping, layering, smoothing, taping, and pinning a MILLION pins, knows why it takes so long. Not my favorite part of quilting! I'm thinking this one will take me about three days to quilt, and then I can spend the evenings binding it in front of the t.v. So keep an eye out for, dare I say, a finished quilt next week. Hummm maybe......

So, what are YOU working on this week?

Sunday Stash

2010-06-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

My growing Katie Jump Rope collection. This is Denyse Schmidt's second fabric collection for Free Spirit fabrics. My plan is to use this for Sugar Stitches Kaleidoscope quilt-a-long, but you know sometimes I don't follow my plan very well;)

Some Finishes

2010-06-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

The placemats for my MIL, (sorry the picture isn't the best, my camera was elsewhere, and I had to use my iphone). I'm really happy with how these turned out, so happy in fact, that I'm making my mom some just like them. I will make some for me one of these days;)

My bee blocks, (again a bad iphone picture, sorry). I only participate in one quilting bee, the 3x6 bee on flickr. The way this bee works is, you have three months to make six blocks for your beehive partners. You make a block of your choice using your own fabric in the color choices of your beehive members. I like this bee because you have lots of time to make your blocks, you get to destash some of your fabric, and you get blocks in return that are usually different than something you would make yourself. Fun fun fun.

And last, but not least, my pillow for the The Pillow Talk { Swap } on flickr. This is the first time I participated in this swap, and boy was I intimidated! There are some seriously talented people, making some seriously awesome pillows. My pillow left for it's new house last week, and it has a very long journey to make. I'm excited to see if my partner loves it as much as I do.

Well that's all the finished projects I have so far, hopefully I have a few more to share next week.

WIP It Out Wednesday

2010-06-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

So this week I will be sewing some hexagons for Julie, (aka jaybird quilts)'s quilt-a-long. This quilt-a-long is being held over at flickr. I am so far behind for this quilt-a-long, but whatever! Julie is amazing, and she has put all the instructions in pdf format, and I saved them all, so I'm good to go. I wanted a nice summer quilt, so I'm going with an aqua and red combo. Hopefully I can get it finished before the end of summer;)

Next up is a quilt-a-long that crazymom quilts is hosting. This week is just about gathering your fabric, and getting it cut. I'm going with orange and grey for this quilt, mainly because my hubby loves that color combo, and I'm hoping to make something he likes. Since there is no sewing involved this week, I shouldn't fall to far behind;)

And lastly, I am making my mom some placemats. These are going to be just like the ones I made for my MIL. I'm not sure about any of you, but If I make something for one of them, I have to make it for the other one too. We can't have any hurt feelings, (or run the risk of losing a babysitter when needed;)

I just realized that I never showed you pictures of the finished placemats! That will have to be another post, because blogger is a pain in the rear with loading pictures. Since I have all of these all in the right order, I am not going to fight with adding any more today. So keep an eye out for some finished project pictures in the upcoming days.

Sunday Stash

2010-06-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

A fat quarter bundle of the entire "Plume" collection by Tula Pink for Moda. I love this line!! It is so girly, so pink, so vibrant, so AMAZING!

There are 28 different fat quarters in this bundle, I bought if from Over the Rainbow, and they have lots of Tula Pink still available, including her earlier collections. If you love Tula Pink just follow this link, and it will take you right to the Tula Pink page on "Over the Rainbow's" site. Just a note, when I was purchasing this FQ bundle, the shipping seemed too high, but after checkout the shipping was adjusted to a more accurate shipping charge. So if you want to make a purchase, but are hesitant because of shipping, just keep that in mind.

Isn't she just precious? Now to find the perfect project for her......

Winner Winner

2010-06-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Me, I'm a winner! The only time I ever won anything, was at bunco, for the most losses, so I won for being the biggest looser. But today baby, today I'm a winner. You see Heather is having an amazing month of giveaways to celebrate her birthday, and I am one of the winners of the first giveaway. I'm not 100% sure of what I won, (you see she was offering a couple of different prizes), and frankly I don't care what I won. I could have won the chance to wash Heather's dirty socks, I don't care, because I WON something!

You too have a chance to win, just head on over to Heather's blog, see what she's giving away now, and wish her a happy birthday. Easy as pie, well probably easier than pie. As soon as I figure out what it is that I won, I will show you;)

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-06-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

So this week I'm working on my pillow for the pillow talk swap 3 over on flickr. This is the last swap thing that I have going for a while, as much as I would love to do more of them, I have so much to do this summer. First I have to finish my niece's quilt, then I have to finish my pinwheel quilt, and I've been telling my daughter I would make her a quilt, and I still have gifts to make for my mom, plus I have strips cut to start a hexagon quilt, and there is another quilt-a-long starting up that I want to do. SO NO MORE SWAPS, (for now;).

How is that possible?

2010-06-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Could you please tell me. How is it that this incredibly beautiful baby grew up?

And turned into this incredibly beautiful young woman, who graduated high school last week. I can't figure it out, since it was just a few years ago that I was graduating high school. I know I'm not the first parent to make that statement, and I won't be the last, but it doesn't make it any less relevant. Kids grow up fast, again not a major revolution, but very relevant. So this young lady will be going to UC Santa Barbra in the fall, (do you feel sorry for her yet?). I know she will do amazing things, and grow into an amazing adult, and I can't wait to watch it all!

Sunday Stash-May 22, 2010

2010-05-23T13:43:00.001-07:00

Sunday Stash-May 22, 2010
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

Some Amy Butler.

WIP it Wednesday

2010-05-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

WIP it Wednesday
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

This week I'm working on some Dresden plates. I'm tossing around the idea of using one in my pillow for the pillow talk swap, and since I haven't made one before I thought it best to do some test blocks first. This one is not finished yet, and I think I will make some matching ones to use as placemats for my Mother-in-law. What do you think of that idea? I will keep you posted as they are created.

Tula Pink quilt top

2010-05-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

O.K. so I did get my Tula Pink pinwheels quilt top completed, yeah for me!! Now I just need to get it quilted. I'm taking suggestions on how I should quilt this little beauty, so leave me a comment. Also I feel that I should start giving my quilts more creative names, but I feel a bit weak in the "creative quilt names" category, so if you have any good ideas, let me know that too. Check back tomorrow for a peek at what I'm working on this week.

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-05-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

This week I'm working on getting this quilt top finished. I only have to finish sashing the rows, and add the border, so it shouldn't take long, (famous last words I know). This little quilt was an online quilt-a-long hosted by Dana from the Old Red Barn Co. on Flickr. The fabric line is "Plume" by Tula Pink for Moda, and I just have to say that I am IN LOVE with this print. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, I mean it's a little girlie for the back of my sofa. I was thinking that I could give it to my nice Harper, but I don't know if it's going to be the right size. Maybe by the time I get it finished I will have a plan, maybe....

So what are you working on this Wednesday?

WIP'ed it out Wednesday

2010-05-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

This week instead of showing you one of my many WIP's, I'm showing you the big finish. That's right Denise's quilt is no longer in the WIP pile, but is now in the completed pile! It feels so good to finish a quilt, especially one this big!
Because I didn't want much shrinkage, I pre-washed the fabric, but I didn't prewash the batting, so it did shrink a little. The finished size after washing, and quilting is....95 inches square, so is shrank about five inches. That is still one big quilt, the biggest I've ever made. So I guess I need to prewash the batting too? You quilters out there, give me your take on the matter.
I'm leaving you with some more pictures, because I'm pretty proud of this puppy:)

That's all folks! Drop me a line and tell me what you think of my newest quilt.

Sunday Stash

2010-05-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

My too small collection of Heather Ross "Mendocino". I really love this line, and it's getting a little hard to find now. If any of you out there know of where I can find some drop me a line;)

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-04-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

I am more than half way finished with the quilting on Denise's quilt!!! So this week it's all about finishing it up, and shipping it off. I have to say it would not have been possible with out this:

(I know not the best picture.) Meet "Fast Judy", she was going to be named just plain old Judy until I tried her out for the very first time! I knew she was going to be a bit faster than my old machine, "Jan", but man is she really fast. Here are Jan, and Fast Judy together:

A huge difference huh? I now own four machines, I will be keeping these two, but the other two don't work very well. Any ideas as to what I should do with them? Craig's list, yard sale, Salvation Army? I would love to hear your opinions, just leave me a comment.

Check back for finished pictures later in the week;)

A Must Read

2010-04-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

A new e-magazine for modern sewists, quilters, and crafters. This is the work of some very talented people, like Katy, and Aneela, and John just to name a few. I just purchased my first copy, and it's sitting nice and neatly in my documents here on my computer. That's right, because it's an e-magazine, it lives in your computer. That means that it wont clutter up your living space, it wont get tossed out by a spouse looking to de-clutter the magazine pile, the pages wont get riped, and it will never get used as a fly killer, not that any of those things have ever happened around here;) So pop over to Fat Quarterly, and see what it's all about.

Check back tomorrow for some BIG progress that I've made on a BIG project!!

Sunday Stash

2010-04-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Some red and aqua, will be a quilt soon, I will keep you posted.

Happy Sunday!

Check it out

2010-04-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Go check out Ryan's blog for a chance to win a $50.00 gift certificate to The Fat Quarter Shop. He is giving away two gift certificates, and you can enter up to five times, so hurry up you only have until Sunday. Go now, you know you could always use some more fabric;)

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-04-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

This baby is ready to get quilted. I spent all day Monday piecing the back, crawling around on the floor pinning it to near death, and then my machine looked at me and said, "not on your life sister". So off to the repair shop she went. I think she just needs a good tune-up, but I'm looking at new machines anyway. Maybe I can convince my husband that I need an early Mother's day gift......

Ticker Tape Pillow

2010-04-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Between dosing out medication, making sure that my little guy was eating and drinking, and checking his temperature, I was able to do a little sewing.

After seeing this AMAZING ticker tape quilt made by the equally AMAZING Amanda Jean of "crazymomquilts'', (here is her, blog, she no longer posts, but there is still some amazing inspiration and information there if you want to check in out). Well as I was saying, since seeing that quilt I have wanted one. I knew that a whole quilt would be a bit daunting to say the least, so I chose a pillow instead. The idea was there just floating around in my head while I worked on other projects, because there always seems to be more important things to do rather than sewing for one's self, (or does that just happen to me?). Well one of my favorite fabric shops, The Tin Thimble was having a class taught by my friend Katie Trott. She had made a little doll quilt in the ticker tape style and was sharing this technique. I probably didn't need a class to LEARN how to do it, I just needed the class to actually DO it. know what I mean? So last Wednesday evening I gathered up my supplies, and sewing machine, left the kids with my fabulous husband, and enjoyed the evening sewing, chatting, and laughing, it was nice to have a little sewing outing, the first one I've ever had I believe. I was able to get most of my pillow finished during the class, and yesterday I finished up the few little pieces left. So now I am the proud owner of a ticker tape pillow, and I have one fewer idea floating around in my head.

WIP it Out Wednesday

2010-04-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is my five year old, Aidan. He has an ear infection in BOTH ears!! So today I will be working on making him better. Check back for sewing updates later.

A Few Finishes

2010-04-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got Denise's quilt top finished! Next I will have to piece together the backing, and get it quilted. The finished size of the top is 100x98 inches, that my friends, is HUGE!! Send me some prayers and good vibes as I get started quilting this baby.

Then I made some pillow shams for Denise. I love making pillow shams. They go together quickly, and that gives me a sense of accomplishment. I hope Denise likes them as much as I do.

Then I made a pillow sham for my nice Hayden. This goes with this quilt I made for her.

I have the top completed, and the back pieced. As soon as I finish Denise's quilt I will be quilting this one.

Then since I was in such a pillow sham making mood, I made one for my son, Aidan. I made him a robot quilt way back here, and I thought it high time to get him a sham to go along with it.

And finally, I made another tree pillow. My mom needed a thank you gift, so I whipped out this pillow for her.

And that is what I worked on this past week!

Sunday Stash

2010-03-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Organic cotton canvas by Marcus Brothers. I have a couple of pillow projects coming up, and I love to use this organic cotton canvas. I got mine at The Tin Thimble, they are located in Loomis, CA, and if you are anywhere close to them, you should really go visit. If you don't live close by, you can visit them on their etsy page. If you do decide to use some of this, the girls at "The Tin Thimble" recommend pre washing, because it does shrink a bit.

Denise's quilt is coming along nicely, so keep an eye out for some pictures of my progress in the upcoming days.

A Little Progress

2010-03-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

I missed my "WIP it out Wednesday" yesterday, (a vet visit, and two ortho appointments do not leave much time for blogging!). So I thought I would give you an update today. This picture shows all of the completed blocks in their final layout, and as of tonight I have all the rows assembled too. I'm hoping by Monday I will have a completed quilt top to show you. I'm loving this quilt, I will have to make on for myself someday....

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-03-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

The "Denise Quilt"! I have about a quarter of the blocks complete. I really hope to have all the blocks completed by next week, and if I'm really good, maybe a whole quilt top. My goal is to have this quilt finished, and on it's way to Denise by the middle of April, wouldn't that be great! Check back next week to see how far I've gotten.

Liberty of London for Target

2010-03-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

So here are the goods from my Target splurge this weekend. My daughter and I purchased a dress a piece, I picked up two tops for myself, and the bathing suit down there is my daughter's. Not pictured are the p.j.'s and underthings that were purchased, (a little too much TMI for the blog sorry folks:), and the tote bag and wallet that my daughter bought, (they are in use right now, and not available for photographing:).

I also picked up this cute little canister. Now my biggest challenge is trying to decide if it should live in my bathroom, or in the dining room, either of which might lead to a complete redecorating of the said room with much more liberty items, like storage boxes, picture frames, and possibly a liberty pig!

Now excuse me while I climb up on my soap box for a moment, (you have been warned). I have read some comments that people are a little disappointed in the quality of the Liberty coming out of Target. Are the $40.00 dresses at Target the same quality as the $400.00 dresses you could purchase at the Liberty of London store? Probably not. Could a suburban soccer mom like myself, run around this summer in a $400.00 Liberty of London dress? Probably not. Could that same soccer mom run around in a $40.00 Liberty of London for Target dress, and look ultra cute this summer? You betcha! So I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you want a $400.00 dress, don't go to Target, and expect it to be $40.00. I am happy with the quality of clothes that I purchased, everything is fully lined, and very comfortable, the prints are bright, and make you happy when you see them. They scream femininity, and I love them! I'm climbing down off my box now.
I would love to hear if any of you assaulted your local Target this weekend, and if so what did you get?

Liberty of London, for Target

2010-03-14T19:30:00.001-07:00

Liberty of London, for Target
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

I love Liberty, and I love Target, so when the two come together, it's magical! My daughter and I did some major damage today. I will post some pictures of our purchases in the coming days. If you haven't checked out your local Target, I would highly recommend doing so, before everything is all gone.

It's Here

2010-03-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

My doll quilt. Do you like? I do. The wonderful Molly Culley made this little pretty for me. I was so excited when I opened my package and saw it. It is just wonderful, and now it is happily hanging in the upstairs hallway where we can all admire it. Thank you Molly.

What I will be doing today

2010-03-09T10:35:00.000-08:00

I will be cutting out Denise's quilt! And then I will probably be cutting out some fabric.

Did I mention that I was going to be doing some fabric cutting today? This is going to be a biggy, so there will be lots of cutting, but you probably guessed that already. Stay tuned, if I'm really good I might have some blocks to show you tomorrow, (or Thursday!).
On a side note, my doll quilt has been received so you can go on over to Nanci's blog and see it for yourself. I am still waiting for mine, but as soon as I get it I will show you. I hope I get it soon, I'm going a little nuts here keeping a lookout for the postwoman and all!

A little update

2010-03-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

I finished the tree pillows for my mother-in-law. They look pretty good if I do say so myself. She loves them, but says her cat is wanting to lay on them, so I told her I will make him his own pillow:)

We went to Disneyland, and had a blast! In the past we have gone in the middle of summer vacation, and had to fight the crowds. This year we took the kids out of school, and went in the middle of the week. Much nicer, I don't think we will be going back in the summertime again!

This is the start of a quilt for my niece. I have a commissioned quilt to start on, but I wanted to test out the block first, so I decided to kind of kill two birds with one stone ya know. I'm using the test blocks for a quilt for my niece, Hayden. Denise's quilt will be made using Laura Gunn's, "Lantern Bloom" collection, paired with a solid white kona cotton. I think I have the block all figured out (thanks to my friend Jamie), so now I can get the Laura Gunn fabric cut out. I really hope to have this quilt finished by the end of the Month.

Sometimes it seems like it takes me forever to get something done, but I have all those other "mom things" to do too. You know those annoying things like feeding your family, running kids to doctor appointments, and

practices of some sort, and not to mention cleaning the house every once in a while. So keep checking back. I will be keeping you posted on my progress.

Sunday Stash

2010-02-14T15:03:00.001-08:00

Sunday Stash
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

A little pink for your Valentines day, enjoy!

Finished!

2010-02-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

One WIP is crossed off the list. Here is my completed doll quilt. I finished this last night so that makes me a whole day ahead of schedule! Next on the list are some tree pillows. Keep an eye out in the next couple of days pictures. Then it will be on to my niece's quilt.
Remember how I was fretting because I didn't have a pattern? Well my friend Jaime says, "I love making patterns. I could look at the picture, and figure out a pattern if you like". If I like, heck yeah I would like. So I sent her all the pictures I had of the quilt, and then went to bed. Well I woke up the next morning, and guess what was in my inbox? That's right a quilt pattern, and not some half way written pattern either, but a full on professional pattern with yardage requirements, cutting diagrams and everything, right down to how many biding strips I will need. I really like my friend Jaime. She has an etsy page, and I told her she needs to write up some quilt patterns and sell them. Well I hope she does, but for now she has a few things in her shop for sale, so you can go check out her stuff.
Check back for updates.

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-02-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

This week I have a lot of wips, so I will start with my doll quilt. It's almost finished, just the quilting and binding left so I should be done in two days tops, (fingers crossed). I am loving how this turned out, but I'm still nervous. I really hope my partner loves it, but you never know. I think when you make something for someone who is a quilter themselves, you always wonder if it's going to be up to par. But hey, I could second guess myself from here to eternity, and never get any work done. So I'm just going to let any doubts go, and finish, and then wait for my little beauty to arrive.

Funny story with this doll quilt: I was working on the tree leaves, when my thirteen year old walks by. I called him over to get his opinion about the color/layout of the leaves. He says "It looks good, but were is the dog going to go? I say "Dog, there is no dog, what makes you think there is a dog?" He says "Well I thought you said this was going to be a dog quilt." "No" I say "a DOLL quilt, not a DOG quilt", silly man child!

And the next wip I was going to talk about was some tree pillows, like these, for my Mother-in-law. But I hit a wrong button, and blogger deleted the photo, and I can't reload it, or it will go to the top of the page, and that is not where I want it. So I will just tell you about them, and then post pictures of them after I finish them. They are going to be tree pillows, made with Amy Butler fabric to match the table runner I made her for Christmas. They should only take me a day to make, (again fingers crossed).
Next up are some pot holders for a very dear friend. We lost touch about nine years ago, but thanks to the beauty of facebook, and the Internet in general, we've reconnected. Well she saw my Sunday stash post a few posts back, and said how much she loved the fabric. I tell her, I can make something for you if you want, and she said how's about some pot holders, so pot holders it is. I haven't made pot holders before, so I will not put an estimate on how long they will take, but I'm hoping not long!

Now comes something that consumes my thoughts. Denise, (whom I've made a few things for in the past), would like a quilt like this one, only king size. Well she sent this picture, and she has already bought all the fabric, so now she is just waiting on me. Here is why it consumes my thoughts, I don't have a pattern. I am a pattern kind of a person, I like to know how many squares, and of what size to cut, and all that. I don't like to just guess. what if I guess wrong? mess up the measurements, and can't get anymore of the fabric to start again with? And one more thing in the sashing, I'm so afraid that things will shift, and not line up correctly. Well I decided to try my guessing on a quilt for my niece first, (not that she is in any way less important), I just have lots of extra fabric for her quilt, so if I mess something up, it won't be a total wash. Which brings me to my next wip.

This is going to be my nieces quilt. My mom bought the bottom two fabrics, and I added the rest. I'm not going to sash her quilt with white, I'm going to use pink, or maybe the green. I'm leaning towards the pink, because I think the green might end up being too bright. I'm just going to shoot for putting together the top, and worry about finishing this up after doing Denise's quilt. Denise has already waited pretty close to forever on me, and I don't want her to have to wait much longer.

Boy does that sound like a lot! Pray that I get most, if not all of these things finished in the week ahead. Check back to see my progress, and if you have any suggestions, on putting together Denise's quilt let me know.

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-01-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

This week I will be working on my doll quilt for the doll quilt swap over at flickr. I'm not 100% sure that I will be using this exact fabric combination, but this is basically the look I'm going for. If you can't tell this is going to be a tree, with a sun in the upper right hand corner, with the sky, and grass. I think I will put some birds here and there. I have my idea sketched out, but I don't draw very well, so you might not be able to make out what is supposed to be any better. All I can tell you is to keep checking back for progress updates. Which brings me to my update on last week's WIP.

I have all my blocks completed for my three by six sampler bee, again over at flickr. In this swap we have three months to make six quilt blocks for six other members. You get to pick your colors, but the block and fabric choice is whatever your partners want to make. So at the end of the three months you will have six different blocks, in your chosen colors. I hope I explained that right. If you want a better description, follow that link up there and read the description at the group's page. It did not take me all week to make the blocks, but then I decided that I had to send something else along with the blocks, so I made chickens.

Chicken pincushions to be exact. My friend Jaime made one for me, and since I had some leftover squares, I made some for my swap partners. So now that you are updated, it's time to get started on that doll quilt.

Sunday Stash

2010-01-24T10:28:00.001-08:00

Sunday Stash
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

This is just a little bit of the fabric I picked up this week. My local fabric store was having a winter clearance sale, tons of fabric for $1, and $2 a yard! This would make such a cute kids quilt!!!

WIP it out Wednesday

2010-01-20T09:37:00.001-08:00

This week's WIP is to finish my blocks for the 3x6 Sampler Bee. I'm really hoping it doesn't take me a full week to finish them, but you never know. This is the first time I have made a wonky star, and I love them! If you want to make some for yourself, I used this tutorial .

Now for last week's WIP, which I didn't blog about. I made this rag quilt for my neighbor Pam. This is going to be a birthday gift for her mother. I love this Amy Butler fabric, and I have made several things with it, so it's almost gone. I think it's time to do some fabric shopping, what do you think? Well now it's time to get some sewing done.

Mmmm Mmmm Good

2010-01-12T10:13:00.001-08:00

O.K. peeps, I had to share this fantastic recipe with you. Because it is the middle of winter, and it's been so cold the hubby and I searched for a good minestrone soup recipe. We found a ton, but decided on trying this one, it was so good I made it twice in one week, and nobody complained about it. I hate it when someone gives you a recipe, and raves about how good it was but then says "the only thing is I changed......", and basically gives you a whole different recipe. Now saying that, this recipe calls for shredded cabbage, and I didn't have any, but I did have some baby bok choy so I went ahead and used that instead, that is THE ONLY thing I did differently. I don't think that little substitution would change this recipe all that much, so use the cabbage it calls for, or throw in some baby bok choy, either way you will have a winner! If you make it I would love to hear if you like it.

First of 2010

2010-01-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Here is the first finished sewing project of 2010! Sorry for the dark pictures, but we haven't seen the sun for about a week, so I had to do the best I could without it.

This is the rag quilt and burp cloths for my cousin. They are now on their way to her, to patiently await the arrival of baby Brooklyn. She should be making her appearance in about one month, which will be the longest month of my cousin, Kassie's life. With the anticipation, the emotions going from "I can't wait" to "I can't do this, who am I kidding", the sleepless nights trying to find a comfortable sleeping position, um yeah I remember that last month all to well!

I have a lot of projects in the upcoming weeks. I'm sewing up a quick rag quilt for a friend's mom, I have a set of twin size rag quilts to start on, I have a big o' king size quilt to start on, and I'm doing a doll quilt swap, and a quilt block swap. So keep checking the blog for lots of pictures, and updates on my progress. And leave me a comment about what you've got going on!

WIP it out Wednesday

2009-12-30T11:26:00.001-08:00

This week's "WIP" is a rag quilt, and a set of burp cloths. I'm making this set for my cousin who is expecting her first baby in February. This is the same cousin whom I used to babysit when I was in high school, that makes me feel old! I'm so excited for her, because the process of getting pregnant was not easy for her. I think some of use who get pregnant just THINKING about it, (I better stop now!), take it for granted. This is truly a blessing, and I'm so excited for her.

I will post pictures as soon as I finish.

I've been busy

2009-12-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to ride the Polar Express. It took us all the way to the North Pole, where we picked up Santa, and then rode all the way back to Sacramento. It was fun, even if it was a cold, wet night! We made the mistake of telling Aidan that we were going to have hot chocolate on the train, so the whole time we were waiting in line he kept asking "when are we going to have hot chocolate?". Next time we will keep the hot chocolate the surprise!

I finished the table runner for my MIL. As you can see I have used a chocolate brown cotton for the binding, so obviously I went shopping. I pictured this with that brown binding, and nothing else would do. I love how this turned out.

And I've made pillows for my Sister's-in-laws. I still need to make two more, but I had to get one set shipped off so I took a quick picture of them before boxing them up. I wanted to make a quilt for on of them, but I knew I wouldn't get anything else made. So I decided to make gifts for all three, and pillows seemed be the thing to make. I used this tutorial, and it was pretty easy. I think I like the trees better, but I think that's because I haven't perfected the flower yet. I found that trying to cut out the petal shapes were the hardest part. I will need more practice to make mine look as good as the ones in the tutorial!

So that's what I've been up to. I will be glad when the gifts are all made, so I can do some baking, not that I really need to eat any cookies, but the kids and I have fun making them!!

Walking in a Wonky Wonderland

2009-12-03T08:27:00.001-08:00

Wow two posts in two days, I'm on a roll! Here it is all finished my "Walking in a Wonky Wonderland" quilt. LOVE LOVE LOVE this quilt!

Now not everyone is going to like this, (my mom), I mean with it's wonky not straight lines. And all those colors red, orange, blue, green, turquoise, pink, purple, how do they all go together? And the prints themselves? I mean butterflies, scissors, dots, stripes, flowers, birds, there's even mole or two in there somewhere. How can all that possibly work together? I don't know, but they do, and I love it!

The backing is an off white kona cotton solid, I thought it best to stick with an unfussy backing. See I'm not totally crazy!

Let me know what you think of my newest quilt, do you love it? Not sure? Gotta make one for yourself?

Also my dear friend Jamie, after reading that I spent two hours going through my fabric stash looking for a dark brown solid, pointed me to this. I think I might try it out, a little organization never hurt anyone, right?

I can't wait to hear from you!

WIP It Out Wednesday

2009-12-02T15:50:00.001-08:00

WIP
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

Wow it seems like forever since my last post! With Thanksgiving behind me, it's now time to start sewing full force! This weeks WIP is a table runner for my MIL. All I have left to do is sew on the binding. I wanted to use a dark brown for the binding, but after sorting through my fabric stash (for two hours) last night, I have found none! So that means a change in plans, or a trip to the fabric store. Which one do you think will win? Check back soon for the answer to that one!

WIP it out Wednesday

2009-11-11T16:47:00.001-08:00

"Walking in a Wonky Wonderland"
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

I just have to finish sewing on the binding. This is MY quilt, the first one I have made for myself, and I love it to pieces!
Full, finished pictures to follow soon, I promise.

Amy Butler table runner

2009-11-09T17:03:00.001-08:00

Amy Butler table runner
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

I'm in the process of making my Mother-in-law a table runner for Christmas. I'm using the Amy Butler computer software for The Electric Quilt Company. This is the first project that I've done using this, (or any), computer program. I really like playing around with all the projects, you can customize them by changing the fabric, or the dimensions, really I have only just begun to figure out all the things you can do with this program. If you are looking for some quilting software check this out, you are sure to find lots of projects that you will "have" to make, trust me! This is going pretty quickly, so hopefully I will have a completed project to show you by the weekend, keep checking back for progress reports.

Sunday Stash

2009-10-25T11:32:00.001-07:00

Sunday Stash
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

This week's Sunday Stash is Laura Gunn for Michael Miller fabric this is from her "Lantern Bloom" fabric line. I will be making a KING size quilt (after Christmas) for Denise, have have made a few quilts for her already, and I am so excited to do this one. This will be the biggest quilt I have made, (which is a little intimidating), but I'm sure I can handle it!

WIP it out Wednesday

2009-10-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

This week,s WIP is my "Wonky Wonderland" quilt. I have been working on this for some weeks now, but I only have about eight more blocks to make, the end is near. I really hope to have a completed quilt top to show you next week, or maybe just maybe a whole completed quilt, hmmmm could I be that good? Check back to find out.

This is one of my completed WIP's. This lovely horsey rag quilt is going to go live with my friend Gloria for her oldest little girl. I backed this quilt with the softest polka dot flannel, you should FEEL how soft it is!

And this, kind of matching rag quilt, is for Gloria's youngest girl. I wanted these to match since they had to live together, but I wanted each to be unique (to hopefully avoid any fighting over who's is who's, you know!). Well I was going to have these off to Gloria last Friday since we had a little "girls night out", but as I was rushing out the door, I forgot them. So I say another reason for another "girls night out" very soon, don't you think?

Sunday Stash

2009-10-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

Sunday Stash
Originally uploaded by rebeccasrags

Here is my stash of Amy Butler's "Daisy Chain". I will be making my Mother-in-law a table topper for Christmas out of this. I love the soothing blues and greens in this collection.

WIP it out Wednesday

2009-10-07T09:53:00.001-07:00

I'm wip-ing out two rag quilts this week. Both of these quilts are going to be going to my friend Gloria for her two little girls. The older girl loves horses, so a horse quilt for her it will be, and the youngest is too young to voice her opinion, so mom got to pick out all the fabric herself. I will be using some of the same prints in both of these quilts, so that they match, but still be unique, just like the girls themselves. So what are you up to this week?

Little Getaway

2009-10-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Last week my husband, and I were able to getaway for two days and go to Monterey. Grandma came up to stay with the kids, and we had such a good, relaxing time. So here is a brief summary of our two day getaway.

We met up with some friends who were out from Michigan. We did a little wine tasting, then went to my husbands favorite British Pub, the Crown and Anchor, for dinner and of course beer. The dinner was just o.k., it must have been an off night, because the husband assured us that some of his best meals were had at this establishment, (maybe he was just enjoying the beer too much?).

The next day was spent at the aquarium. If you have never been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you must must must go. We purchased a membership, so we can go as much as we like all year, plus we get to use the "Member's only" entrance, (aren't you jealous?). The aquarium has lots of really cool exhibits, like the jellyfish, (pictured above), the seahorses, (pictured below), the kelp forest, the outer bay exhibit, (which has a new great white shark), penguins, and a lot of hands on activity's that the kids will enjoy. You can see all the pictures we took on my flickr photostream.

If you do plan a trip I would highly suggest that you purchase your tickets ahead of time on their website. The line to purchase tickets can get really long, especially if you are planning a visit during the summer months, or a weekend. If you purchase tickets ahead of time, you can just pick them up at the will call window, and be on your way to underwater enjoyment in no time flat! Also if you can't make it to the aquarium in person, you can enjoy web cams from the main exhibits from you home computer, just follow that little link up there, and sit back and enjoy! We had a great time, and I am looking forward to going again, but we would probably have to take the kids along, we only get a few "Grandma babysitting cards", and if the kids were left behind again, they would protest. The only thing that would be better for them is to have Grandma come with us, because then they could enjoy the aquarium, and Grandma would buy them everything they wanted, it would be the ultimate win win situation.

Now this is a side note, (I always seem to have at least one). This is the back of Aidan's spacebots quilt. You know the one from the last post. The one my husband, and daughter are not very fond of. They like the front, its this back that they're not sure about. So now you can give my your opinion, do you like it or not? Also let me know if you have ever been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and if you liked it, or thought it was over hyped, (or overpriced!). I can't wait to hear from you!

Spacebots

2009-10-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the Spacebots quilt for my son Aidan. It turned out really good, a little bright, a little wild, but it's a quilt for a four year old boy, so I think that just makes it perfect. Aidan is loving it, and that is what counts, right?

I used a disappearing nine patch for this quilt, which just added to the whole craziness of this quilt. It was the first time I used a disappearing nine patch, and I gotta say it was a lot of fun! I forgot to take a picture of the back, so when I get a chance to I will show that off. I used a bright red print, (it's the print with the nuts and bolts, I used some in the front if you can spot it!), and I pieced a strip of blocks from the front. I love the back, my husband and daughter aren't sure if they like the pieced strip, I guess everyone is entitled to their opinions, I am just choosing to ignore theirs.

And here is the part where I wrote Aidan's name. I chose a spot that wouldn't stand out too much, in case it turned out really bad. I think I did pretty good for my first try!

My husband and I just got back from a little two day getaway, so check back in soon for pictures and a little post. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think of my "Spacbots" quilt, go ahead I would love to hear every one's opinions, even if I do ignore them :)