Modern Siggy Swap

Hey y'all! I'm doing the Modern Siggy Swap. It begins on May 1st. Go on over to http://www.flickr.com/groups/1885816@N25/ If you want to join in!!!! Click the link over on the right to check it out. This will be my first Siggy Swap. I'm so excited! Gonna start making my blocks today!

A Quilt for the Hubs

Have you ever been confronted by your loved one because you've been quilting FOREVER and never made them anything?  Happened to me about a year ago.  I didn't think he had much to complain about, after all he uses all the quilts in the house.  He just wanted his own, a manly one so this is what I made.

The front.

The back.

The happy man.

Lime Slice & Orange Dice and a Christmas Present

I saw this pattern on the internet and fell in love with it!  So I made 2!

The Orange Slice.

And the Lime Dice.

Then my brother was complaining that his mom and sister  are quilt but he doesn't own one.  So we made him his Christmas present with this pattern in browns.

 We used the quilt as you go method on his.  All 3 turned out wonderful.

Hey Mom?!

Me: Yes honey.
Chase:  Why do quilts rock?
Me: Why sweet pea?
Chase  Come look what I did!!!
Me:  (in my head)  Oh good lord what is he up to!

Chase:  They make AWESOME forts!!!
Me:  YES they do!!!

Car Quilts

Do you have a car quilt?  I had to make one.  Now each of our vehicles has a car quilt so I never need to worry about bringing a blanket for Chase.  Here is mine.

Its a disappearing 9 patch.  And I did the quilt as you go method.

Its almost too nice for the car.

Welcome Spring

I fell in love with this Moda Bake Shop pattern.  I had a Jelly roll of so beautiful batik fabrics that was perfect for this pattern.

I simply quilted lines in the solid white strips then went back and hand quilted some colorful circles with pearl cotton.

Chase approved.

Ticker Tape

Just plain fun.  I loved playing with all my scraps.

40th Anniversary Quilt Hanging

This is my creation from beginning to end.  It was a present for my parents 40th wedding anniversary.  It was a pretty big milestone so I decided to commemorate it with a quilted family portrait. 

It is my family standing on my parents front lawn.  I made sure to include their huge broccoli shaped tree and the front porch where their sweet Max used to spend lots of his time.

Chase, Jason, Me, Mom, Dad, and My brother Roger.  Look at our feet!  Thats my favorite part.

Sweet Max who passed shortly after.

Broccoli tree and sign.

Happy Camper

I bought a layer cake and a pack a while back.  I think they were my first pre cuts.  I just didn't get the whole pre cut thing.  So I saw a pattern for a raw edge quilt that used them and thought I give it a shot.  It was nice not to have to do all the cutting for my quilt.  This began my love of pre cuts.  It is Happy Camper by Moda I believe.

It turned out well.  I was worried that it wasn't going to be square but it is.  Love it!

New York Beauty

This is my New York Beauty Quilt.

I had alot of fun making this one.  I got all the fabric in Birmingham. AL.  Jason and I went on a day trip and he helped pick out the fabric.  I put this one together pretty fast and with out problem.  Its paper pieced so all my points a freakin perfect.  It is the only quilt I had ever hung.  Its in my quilt room so we get to look at it every day.

Patriotic Log Cabin

I bought this quilt kit when we were living at Fort Benning.  I cut all my pieces and put them in a box so the cats wouldn't bother them.  Then I proceeded to forget about it for 8 years.  I was excited when I found it, i was able to just start stitching.

I had great security while sewing as well.

When you get a little chubby...

Or fluffy, or thick, or fat, or whatever we donate our clothes to charity right.  All except for those jeans we will eventually squeeze back into!  Well after toting around all our skinny jeans for so many years I decided I probably had enough to make a jean quilt.  In a fit of rage one night I went nuts with the scissors and my rotary cutter and this is what I ended up with.

It is 22 pounds of skinny jean, queen sized quilt love.  We use it in the winter when its super chilly.  I just love feeling the weight of this quilt on my bed.

Monsters

Best. Quilt. EVER.

It is another kit from Bits and Pieces.  I got this one when we went back to Michigan for Chases first birthday.  I finished it when he was 5.  Yep, it was a UFO forever.  I did however get my arse in gear and finished it while he was still little and would love it.  He just turned 8 and continues to use it.  Not to just make me feel good, but because he loves how it feels!  It is all hand appliqued.  Not with heat and bond, but with lots of thread, and time and blood.  I just remember sticking myself just about a thousand times making it.  It is English paper pieced and hand quilted.  I just have to mention that my little guy has great taste.  He knows that the quilts his Mama makes feel best because I put love in them, when we use them we add snuggles to them, and he is lucky to sleep under them cause he can feel our love and snuggles and that makes for the best sleep.  I just think he is so cute when he talks about it.  

I had the Fugly's

I either love my quilts or hate them.  Here are a few I've made and do not love.

Fugly boats

Fugly stars.  What the hell was I thinking with that fabric?!

Fugly Stack and Whack

9/11 Quilt

I love how this turned out.  It is my 9/11 quilt.  I made it while I was living alone at Fort Benning.  The Hubs was in the first unit of MP's to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to guard the Taliban. What a sad sad time for me.

Flowers

I made this little quilt in August 2001.  I pieced it in the car as we made our 4th cross country trek.  I finished the flowers as we were crossing into Georgia.  I finished the binding 9/11.  Yep, 9/11.  What a shitty day.  I proceeded to have a panic attack shortly after finishing my binding, then hyperventilated at the dentist as I watched the twin towers fall repeatedly on the TV above me.  9/11 and a dentist apt.  Oh what a day.

Leaf Quilt

I made this quilt while we were in Washington state.  I just fell in love with the pattern.  I think it inspired me because it makes me think of Washington.  The nature-y part of the state.  The sound, the trees, the ocean.  I miss it.

 I've got no clue where I picked up the pattern or the fabric.  I just remember making it while we lived at Fort Lewis.

Crayons

Around the time I made Chases baby quilt I made a little crayon quilt for my friend Jesseca's little girl Sammy.  Once again I had a hard time parting with it.  It was a quilt kit I purchased at Bits n Pieces.  It turned out super cute! 

So what do I do.  I have to call my mommy to go back to the quilt shop and buy another kit...so I could have one.  I have such a hard time giving away the things I make.  I don't know if it because I'm so selfish or I just pour my heart and soul into them. The jury is still out on that one.

Chases Baby Quilt

I made this little quilt for one of my best friends at the time, my Sandy. She was pregnant and I'm not sure if I knew the sex of the baby or not but it was gonna be blue and yellow and duckies. To me it doesn't matter if is a girl or boy when yellow duckies are involved it must be a blue quilt. So...she had a girl. A blue quilt for a little girl. I sent it off to Texas and I haven't seen her in years and years. She has 3 gorgeous children now and I miss her dearly. Anywho, I fell in love with the quilt and made 2 of them. I had to make one for my future baby. I wasn't even pregnant or planning to be but I couldn't give it away unless I had one too. Flash forward 3 years and I had the perfect baby quilt for Chase. It was my first paper pieced quilt(s). It has perfect points everywhere and I love the fabrics. I bought them at Kudzu Quilt shop in Montgomery AL. It was the closest quilt shop to us when we were stationed at Fort Benning GA.

What do you think? And no, I never used it with my kid. I forgot all about it when I had him. All our belongings were in boxes. We were in the process of moving from Fort Benning to Cumming while building a house and living in a crappy little apt. Maybe he can use it for his kids.

I Made The Most Comfy Cozy Quilt EEEEVER!!!

That's right I said it.  I made it.  It is my pineapple quilt, circa 1999'ish.

There she lays on the back of our couch.  I can't take pictures to save my life and I really don't want to crawl out of bed to tray and take a better one.  So let me tell ya a bit about her.  It is almost all thimbleberries fabric and the softest thing ever.  I wish I could remember what batting I put in it cause it just has that feel.  You know the one.  THE feel.  She is rarely ever folded up or laying nicely on the couch.  She is used and abused daily by myself, the Hubs, the Kid, and our 3 cats.  It's our go to quilt for snuggles.  It was the only class I ever took and the first quilt I quilted myself.  She's got history!  I smile every time I think about the class.  I was nervous.  A newbie quilter and alone in Washington state.  The Hubs was a soldier back then.  I went early or so I thought.  I was the last one there so I got a crappy seat at the table.  There were long tables set up in a big square and the only seat left was smooshed in the middle between 2 tables, next to the 1 and only plug.  Y'all see where I'm going here.  I had my little Jenome Jem and was pretty intimidated by all the big pretty machines the ladies had.  Long story short I pissed everyone off about 20 times for unplugging the extension cord all the machines were plugged into.  They kept having to adjust their fancy machines, but not me with my little machine for classes.  I laughed!  Thats what you get for stuffing an extra person in a class.  I was first to sign up by the way.  I had a good time and got an awesome quilt out of it.  I think the quilt shop was Byrd's Nest in Olympia Washington.  It ended up being my favorite shop while we lived there.

Until Next Time!

Paige

I've been Nominated...

For a major award.  Every time I see/say/hear that phrase I think of the dad on A Christmas Story with his leg lamp!  Makes me chuckle!  But...I have been nominated for a Liebster Award.  That is sooooo cool.  Thank you Hettie!  

I was super excited to see my one and only follower nominated me....then not having time to blog about it just about drove me nuts.  Which sort-of makes me nuts cause I'm typing to myself. Wait!  Not anymore!!!

Now about this award....this is given to a blogger with less than 200 followers (HA!  I've got 1!  Thanks again Nettie from stitchingmatters ) by a fellow blogger who follows or reads their blog.  This hopes to give those bloggers just a little more attention.  As the recipient of this award you have to thank and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. 


The rules after accepting this award are:

• Thank the person that nominated your blog and link back to them
• Nominate up to five other blogs for the award
• Let them know via a comment on their blog
• Post the award on your blog

I have decided to nominate the following bloggers.

browndogprims

Stacey at onthedesignwall

Kristie at quiltingcowgirl

littlebook-notes

Michele at nostalgiccafe

I hope you all accept this award and continue to create beautiful things, inspire others, and share the love!  Keep it going Girls!!!

My FIRST Quilt

I guess I started quilting about 16 years ago.  Sounds good, but I started sewing when I was about 5, so that was almost 32 years ago.  I was kind of a sick child and I believe I drove my mother insane when I was home from school so she had to give me something to occupy my time and keep my hands busy.  So she stuck me in front of the sewing machine.  I would make tiny little pillows with scraps of fabric or I would just sew lines with all the different stitches on her machine (a Singer of course).  Mom also taught me to cross stitch, I never did it correctly but I did it.  OK, so fast forward thirty some years.  I'm newly married to a soldier and living 800 mile from home.  I had no friends and no job.  It was a rough situation for me so I began sewing again...poorly.  But Mom bought me a little Jenome Jem sewing machine and I was off and running.  This is the first quilt I started.  It wasn't necessarily the first completed, but it was definitely the first one I really started.  It is my Snowman Collector Quilt.

I used that heat and bond stuff for the applique and did a blanket stitch around each piece by hand.  It was a block of the month I joined at Bits and Pieces in Michigan (the best quilt shop in MI).  It took about 2 years for me to complete.  I didn't quilt it though.  Mom paid someone to do it for me.  It would probably still be a flimsy if she didn't.  Thanks Mom.  Anyway, I am super proud of it.  I have never used it, and it sits all folded up in my craft closet.  I wish I had a wall large enough to hang it.

What was your first quilt?
Paige

Quilt a day

I really need to get my quilts out and document them. I have a ton of them floating around the house. Did I ever take a picture of them? Did I ever label them? Probably not. Looks like I have a project this weekend. It gives me an excuse to play with them and my camera that I never use, my iPhone is just too handy now. Come back and visit, I am going to try to feature one quilt a day.

I miss blogging

I had a great blog.  My own blog.  It was expensive, so I had to get rid of it.  So now I am here.  I really missed showing the world what I am up to, what I created, talking about the family, and just expressing myself.  So, I decided to get this little page up and running again.  I follow about a hundred blogs on here so I can read them at work at night on my google reader.  So I'm back!