Let's start with a little house-cleaning, I mean machine-cleaning...I don't have time to clean my house! See those little pink and yellow sticks? They have a tiny little ball on the end that will grab and hold onto the smallest pieces of lint that your machine collects. Janet gave them to us at one of our meetings and I finally got around to using them - as you can see, they collected what is surely a mole-hill of lint! And all of that came just from under my bobbin carriage!! That's what happens when you finally get back to quilting in a serious way - I've machine quilted 2 quilts and pieced 3 tops in the last month - it's good to be baaaaaack! Now let me show you what my friends have been up to!
This picture just doesn't fit in the picture correctly...but I think you can see the incredible work someone put into making this alphabet cross-stitch. Denise found it at Value Village for $8.00. It's all hand done...EIGHT DOLLARS!!! I don't understand how beautiful hand-made items - things that should be family heirlooms - end up being given away...people are crazy!
Stephanie's baby "plus" quilt is all finished and looking so nice! The straight-line quilting really adds to the modern look of this quilt - the backing is bright and happy; it's the perfect marriage of "baby sleep and baby wake".
Stephanie has been really busy in her workroom - this is another of her tops made with a jelly roll. Stephanie, be sure to use your little cleaning sticks!!! I love this top and I would never have thought to use the gray fabric! I would have used white which would have totally changed the feel of it - the gray lets the other fabrics do all the talkin'!
Jenny brought Sylvia with her to our meeting - her Featherweight! She wanted to show us the new clothes she had custom made for her - like the protective fabric that covers the sewing plate shown above.
I'll blame this picture on the camera and not the photographer because there is NO way I caused that!!!! Maybe I was doing a happy dance because I love this cover so much! It fits nice and snug over the Featherweight - and that's the Singer decal stitched above the name! Sorry it's so blurry but you get the idea, right? If you want to have a cover made for your Featherweight, check out Andrea's Custom Featherweight Covers on Facebook. Even if you don't want to have a cover made - just go look and see what Andrea does - Ahhhhhmazing!
This very sweet baby quilt was made by Helen - the queen of simple blocks with FUN fabrics! I wrote down in my notes that this was a green baby quilt...looks very blue to me here but I do think the colors might be off a bit! Maybe it's time I invested in a new camera?!?
Check out the backing on Helen's quilt - ice cream cones! So fun and cute! Can you imagine being a new mom and having someone give you a gift like this?!?! I was given a hand-made quilt when my daughter was born and we used that quilt for years and years and I still have it! It's barely held together because it was loved almost to pieces!
Barbara made these two darling Valentine pillows. Barbara has a wicker chair on her front porch and she always has something fun on the chair - like these Valentine pillows. I love driving by her home and seeing her porch decorated for the season...as someone who suffers from SDD...seasonal decorative disorder...I take comfort knowing I'm in good company!
Janet pieced this top with batiks from a jelly roll. She didn't use all of the fabrics in the roll, just the ones she liked and is currently looking for more of certain batiks to finish the top. I hate it when I run out of a fabric - remember, you can't go wrong if you buy too much!! Speaking of buying, I was told that Quiltworks in Bellevue is closing it's door and all fabrics are 40% off...it would be rude not to go and at least look, right? Way to go Janet - I hope you find the fabrics you're looking for!
This massive quilt top was pieced by Marsha - I think she said it's queen size! Marsha loves her Aunt Gracie fabrics and so do I - this is just a yummy quilt - and since it will be used on a bed, think how nice it will be to sleep under this?! Let me know when it's done and on your bed Marsha and then invite me over for a slumber party and I'll take it to Dreamland! I really need to start making quilts that will fit on beds...
If I saw this at a shop I would buy it. I would leave it sitting out in my workroom and every time I looked at it I would smile and then laugh...because:
1. It's so pretty to see binding all coiled up together. It's like a little pin cushion of beauty! A true color wheel of inspiration!
2. It takes time to press the binding and roll it up...who's got that kind of time?!?! Press? Hahahaha. After the binding is sewn on and the quilt is washed and dried all of that pressing is washed away...makes me laugh...I'm so easily amused! Marsha, I'm not slamming you - I know almost everyone who quilts prepares their binding the same way...but hack-quilters, such as myself, could no more do that than press as I sew!!! Now that really makes me laugh - as if!
Janet made us a fabulous lunch which included these delicious cupcakes - Dawn's cupcakes. We miss you Dawn, and your quilts but at least we still have your cupcakes!