Saturday is the Handmade Promenade in Broad Ripple. I had a long list of things/projects that I wanted to finish over the last couple of weeks. My hopes were dashed of completing my list, but a good portion will be done.
Here is the stack of potholders I am trying to complete.
Plus two more quilts to quilt and bind. Wish my fingers and energy level luck.
My first quilt has been locked in a closet for the last couple of years…THANK God. It’s terrible, the fabric shrank, it’s off, just an overall mess. Thanks to my parents for loving it no matter my critiques.
I made this the Fall/Winter of 2000. I was home from my freshmen year at IU for Thanksgiving and thought this would be a great gift for my parents. I took my Gma to Wal-Mart with me to buy the fabric. There was no pattern in mind, just wanted to make something. Found some blues that would work for my parents room and started cutting. No rotary cutter and ruler, just scissors and a 3″ square cut out from poster board.
To keep the quilt a secret from my parents I had to leave everything at my gmas. Let’s just say I spent a lot time over there during that break. On Christmas Eve I was to the point that I needed to bring the quilt top and sewing machine into my parents house to finish sewing. Of course no one wanted to go to bed that night. They all stayed up to watch a Christmas Movie until 11pm. I gave up and took a nap and slept until they went to bed.
I ran outside, grabbed the machine, and set up my machine. The quilt was finished around 3am, only because I ran out of binding. It’s tacked with embroidery floss and not at every block. It shrank after the first wash. My parents were so happy with their gift. They actually used the quilt on their bed for a few years. Now it’s retired to a closet since they have updated their room.
Thanks Mom for busting it out for my feature.
Fridays are my day off from my grown up job and are usually spent in the sewing room. Has to be one of my favorite parts of the week. I have around 8-10 hours to just get projects done with the occasional interruption from the assistants.
Last Friday my goal was to finish a couple of projects I had laying around that I just hadn’t quite finished yet. One quilt top had been on the design wall for some time. Top complete but having creative block with the backing. I had taken left over squares to a number of quilt stores looking for the perfect fabric for the back. Some time last week I started going through my big scrap pieces and stash for another project and found some fabrics that could work.
I decided to just make a back with what I had, the colors were close and coordinated. Turns out that I LOVE the backing more than the front. Also love the binding fabric. It’s a hodge podge of fabrics and prints, but isn’t that would quilting should be? Check that one off the list last Friday. It was completed right before hubby got home from work.
Throughout the day on Twitter on Facebook I had been showing another quilt I was working on, the Square Scraps. It felt wonderful to make 4 quilts out of a fabrics that were already in my stash. There is enough left over to make a cute mug rug or even some potholders. Who knows what is next for those scraps?
Here is the final project. The cream fabric strips really added some pop and size to the quilt. It was pinned prior to the start of Sunday Football after cleaning the house. It was a really busy morning. After football ended the depression started at my house. Both the Giants and the Colts lost, not a good way to start our seasons. Off to the sewing room I wen to try to quilt this before the start of True Blood. Quilting done but the binding wasn’t done until about 9:10. Luckily it’s programmed to DVR. Binding was finished during the episode and completed Monday morning.
Overall it was a productive weekend. Wonder what I can do this week when hubby works all day on Friday and some on Saturday??
Rose quilt for sale here in my Etsy shop
Quilted playmat for sale here in my Etsy shop
If you are in the Indy area you should consider coming out to the BRMF this year. I remember when this event started 5 years ago and some bands took over some of my favorite bar spots. Can’t wait to see how it has grown and will feature 150+ music acts.
Quilty will be there as part of the Handmade Promenade. A new quilt project will debut and a great time to stock up on Indy potholders. Custom orders always welcome.
Mark your calendars to come out and support local music and artists.
For friends that are getting married, I really like to to create something handmade with their colors or a special touch. Last year I was asked to make potholders as the invitation to be apart of a couple’s big day. Here is a write up from the Matron of Honor.
http://www.simplecreativeinspiration.com/2010/09/sweet-secret-ingredients-for-perfect.html
After completing 10 sets, there was plenty of fabric leftover. The idea to make the couple something came to mind. The bride gave me back the scraps after she was done creating her wedding party invitations. Needless to say, this quilt has been in creative mode for some time.
Using a set pattern was not fitting for this gift. Around each big scrap and the smaller ones, white fabric was added. It is a white on white fabric to give an extra pop. Only a couple of fat quarters from my stash were needed to finish the top. Thanks to the Quilts Plus annual yardage sale there were a few options for the back.
The quilt is more of a small picnic quilt, just enough room for the couple to sit and enjoy the outdoors. So my gift had a picnic theme. Found a wonderful local vintage seller, Unexpected Elegance, with a picnic basket. Since the couple met in Indy, got engaged in Indy, got married in Indy, and live in Indy, I wanted the gift to also include a local wine. I opted for Easley Winery’s Reggae Red, nice and light for a picnic.
Hope the couple has many memories and dates with this quilt.
For the Mother’s Day quilts that I made in May, I did use many fabrics already in my stash. Even after making three lap sized quilts, there are still plenty of scraps left over.
After spending an hour in the sewing room just sewing I was able get through many of the squares. Just need to clean off the design wall to get my idea laid out.