Inspiration comes from many places ~

 I went on a little trip in March to the Isle of Man. It was the best time for many reasons. Mostly because I traveled alone and that in and of itself was eye opening. I met many people, saw beautiful things and learned so much about the island and myself. After I returned I did some research about Isle of Man quilting. Found little things here and there. Then I did a search for Manx quilting and I found that the log cabin which has been around since the Civil War was probably inspired by the Manx folded log cabin or Roof pattern. Ladies, in the dim evening light, folded pieces of fabric and hand stitched them around a center square. Because they used their fingers, thumb and hands as measuring tools, each square would be different in size depending on the quilter. No quilting bees at that time, I presume.

My trip was wonderful because of a new found cousin in Australia. I was doing genealogy for my husband side and found that his family originated on the Isle of Man and the family migrate to England, Australia and the US.This new found cousin got me in contact with the most amazing hosts on the island. So to thank her, I have made a little wall hanging.

Folded log cabin

We have skyped since my return and she teases me about the large amount of fabric I have in my room. Now I have a little less, haha!

The color choice is from the Manx National registered tartan dated 1946 by Miss Patricia McQuaid. It is a seven color tartan and the description reads:

The light blue of the sky, The dark blue of the sea, The green of the hills & valleys, the white of the cottages, the purple of the heather, the yellow of the gorse in bloom, the red of the flowers of the fuchsia

I chose to have the whites in the center because of how the blocks are stitched together and finished. But it looks beautiful no matter the arrangement.

back with sleeve to hang

She is not a quilter, so I hope she likes it. Just a little reminder of the place she love so much.

Now to make a label for the back, then figure out how to package and mail it to Australia.

A happy little project finished. Now for the bigger ones.

Have a great weekend

for rookies ~

a few changes to border sizes

keeping the seam ripper close

so happy

the back

I might just try the pattern for 'pros'

I have to think about new projects for days before I venture out. Paper piecing is very new to me. I waited for a brave, quiet moment to try it out. Our house roots for the Vancouver Canucks, long story, so what better project to make for the super secret Christmas present that the logo of our favorite team. I was going to attempt to make my own pattern then while looking around the web I found Artisania and she had the tutorial and template for free. I love that! Thank you Thank you.

Now I have to decide whether to add the logo to the front of the quilt( OCD ) or pieced into the back.

Tonight Vancouver v San Jose 7 PM PST
go Canucks

clever bunny ~

163 Patchwork Favorites 

Well at least I thought so ~ for a few moments

After having a up then down couple of weeks, I realized I hadn't created anything. I had almost finished the Strawberry Fields aka 'Cabbage Patch' quilt, with the exception of the end borders, because even that was causing me to be stressed. I have set that aside for now. I have leftovers from that quilt and decided what would be better than to start at the beginning of 163 Patchwork Favorites quilting book and make a couple of blocks. The book is written in Japanese with accompanying diagrams and pictures. Where better to begin that at the beginning.

I had it all planned out and thought that my math/algebra was precise and then had to reach for the seam ripper. It may seem like a 1/4" seam isn't all that much but it is everything in a quilt block. 

I love how they turned out. Pinwheel? It is a bit of a challenge to make a square without so much as a measurement of any of the pieces. Hopefully the quilts I have made in the past will help me figure out the rest of the blocks. What is great about the book, once you have gotten over the whole math thing, is that any of the blocks can be made to any size.

Whew! I feel so much better now.

Update: The translation from Japanese to English is 'Mississippi' ~ just in case you were wondering

why I quilt ~

It makes me slow down and look at colors, shapes and relationships
I make for my family and those in need
and sometimes for me ~
In the giving of these homemade treasures, there is benefit to both the giver and recipient
It has value, worth and legacy ~
When I slow down, spend time with my family or friends, have a conversation with someone I just met
it is time well spent ~
It is always a reminder of love ~
Quilts, scarf's, knitted caps, whatever the handmade gift, are the perpetual hug

Have a lovely weekend

Finished Friday ~ my kitchen will love it

Potholders....
 

Layers of barkcloth, batting, insulbright and linen. I found the tutorial on Elizabeth Hartman's blog 'Oh! Fransson'. The 'woven basket' print barkcloth I purchased on our latest trip to Kauai.

this floral barkcloth I purchased 7 years ago in Oahu

a cut out curve for your hand.

 If I had it to do over again I would have cut a different corner so you could see the pretty flower, oops. 

 

back ~ with binding stitched on

front ~ before hand stitching binding

These are 9 1/2" across with a place to tuck your hand.

 So needing a smaller potholder, I cut out more barkcloth, batting and insulbright, quilted the layers and cut down to 8 1/2". Using the same techniques found in the original tutorial, I omitted the layer that your hand slides into.

 

still need to make more binding/bias

handy dandy quilting bar...tools I never knew I had. I set the bar to 1" for the quilting.

and used jeans/denim needles due to the thickness

Easy to follow tutorial that could be used for a variety of different shaped potholders. Breaking into my stash of barkcloth..... The possibilities ~ 

On my way to the International Quilt Festival /Long Beach and to one of my favorite fabric shops in Torrance, Momen+. If I would have told myself when I was a teenager, even in my twenties or thirties, that I could get so excited about fabric, well I wouldn't have believed you or me! I still get a big kick when I complete a project. It is a ego booster. More potholders to complete this weekend, bread to start...the natives are restless for homemade bread and goodies and a sewing class to attend. 

Finally ~ finished

Well sort of...just the quilt top. Now to decide the back, long-arm quilting pattern and thread color. I typically go with the 'less is more principle', an all over random pattern with white thread. Boring, I know.

What could be better, the sun is shining, a gentle breeze and 16 Laura Gunn fabrics all stitched and bordered with a soft blue painters canvas print. 

taken with a phone

taken with my camera
two kids under holding the quilt up as best they could

no wind here....

Next on the block, the Ferris Wheel quilt just waiting to be cut up. 

The perfect summer to do list :: the Ferris Wheel quilt

:: a picnic or two

:: a trip to the beach

:: great music & food 

:: gingham. 

What are you doing this summertime? What are you making or baking or backing?

dreaming~thinking~planning

dreaming of a quilt it will become~
fabric ~ Cori Dantini
purchased at ~ Pink Chalk Fabrics
book ~ Material Obsession

thinking of how long before it is completed ~
knitting pattern and yarn ~ Madelintosh

planning the next quilt ~
fabric ~ Children at Play
pattern ~ Ferris Wheel
found ~ Q is for Quilter

It is a day for these thoughts ~ 

Finished

  

"F" is for finished, Friday and photography (just kidding).

Happy weekend 

I love freezer paper

Wednesday September 22nd, 2010

As promised I am going to post my adventure making the Oliver & S 'Ice Cream Social' dress. I first traced the pattern using freezer paper, rough cut the pattern pieces,  ironed the freezer paper onto the fabric then cut. Voila!

The freezer paper pieces, pattern and Michael Miller fabric, Ginger Blossom by Sandi Henderson.

I purchased the fabric from a new fabric store in Oceanside...Maisonette. They carry many fabrics, patterns and notions. Nice people and very cute store.

I really like freezer paper because it makes moving the fabric and pattern so much easier without the use of pins.

I can't remember the name of this fabric nor do I have the selvadges, sorry. But it goes cute together. It has tiny little dots all over.

I have to hold hostage our dining room and the large table when I sew. I set up for a couple of days then I put it all away till the next time I have more than 10 minutes to play.

Left over scraps to keep for future projects.

More pictures to come..........

I also have two more additions to add to my list of dresses:

#10 Jump Rope dress by Oliver & S ( I just love the patterns)
It is all cut out and ready to go...

#11 La Robe a Encolure Ronde  by Astrid le Provost (Citronille)

So I will explain the last item on the list...As I wander around the internet I see things that other crafty/talented people make. One such item was a young girls blouse on 'Posey Gets Cozy' and the author of that blog explained that it was a pattern from Citronille, located in France no less. So my search was on to find someone in the US who carries this cute line of children's patterns with no luck. But what I did find is that Mme. le Provost has a book, Intemporels Pour Enfants, with 30+ patterns and instructions, no diagrams, on how to make the patterns. I purchased mine through Amazon UK. Oliver & S and Citronille seem very similar... so you'll see why I like them!

So now I spend my time on Google translate to try and decode the instructions. I did take French in high school but it is no help with the sewing instructions. And the translation I get from Google makes me laugh sometime...like riddles.

 I have traced the pattern onto freezer paper and I am in the process of sewing...I hope it turns out ok

Happy translating

Ileen

Lists and things

Wednesday September 15th, 2010

So I wanted to share my list of 12 quilts and 12 dresses I would like to complete. But first I would like to amend my 'Plan'...I thought, perhaps, I would like to have this all done in one year. Then I started thinking if I would enjoy the time spent on each project or look at them  as just another task in the long list of chores I have made for myself. With that said, I do not have a time limit, though I would like to complete a dress and a quilt each month. I think it is a bit more reasonable...for me at least.

I also finished reading  "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman and I discovered that my primary 'love language' is probably Quality Time, although I seem to need a little of each of the 5. So whether the 'quality time' be spent with others or by myself, I really want to enjoy and appreciate all the projects.

There are times when I get off on tangents...mostly from browsing around the internet and I see something I just have to make. So I will take the time to post those projects too.


The Quilts

1. Pinwheel Dolly Quilt (completed 8/8/10)
2. T-shirt Quilt
3. Windows & Frames (made from mens business shirts.Kate Dixon)
4. Poodle Hugs Quilt (Katy Jones)
5. Honu Quilt (Lisa Boyer)
6. Daisey Chain (Brioni Greenberg)
7. Mod Square
8. Bedtime Story (Aneela Hoey)
9. Family Tree Appliqué (Alicia Paulson)
10. Silhouette Wall Quilt (Alicia Paulson)
11. Little Houses (Ingrid Press)
12. Summer Quilt
13. and something using patchwork hexagons

The Dresses

1. Ice Cream Social dress (Oliver & S completed 8/21/10)
2. Yoga Skirt (Patty Young completed 8/10 & 9/14/10)
3. Antoinne (Citronille)
4. Wrap Dress (for my daughter)
5. Shirt Dress (Heather Ross Weekend Sewing)
6. Coffee Date Dress (The Selfish Seamstress)
7. Men's Shirt Dress (re-purposing a mens shirt)
8. Vintage dress for my other daughter
9. Megan peasant Dress (Sis Boom)

Three more to go....

Tangent #1

Today I did get a few things done, walking around the park, grocery shopping, going to the bank, filing and cleaning. I started a batch of bread, White Oatmeal-Potato Bread by Beth Hensperger from her book A Bread for all Seasons. I'll let you know how it turned out. But no sewing, perhaps another day...

Happy Dough

 Ileen

12 dresses 12 quilts

Sunday 9/5/2010

I have some catching up to do....

I have had this idea mulling about in my head. I have proceeded to make a few things without writing about them so today is the day....

I chose the moniker, 'the lazy jellyfish', because this is often how I feel, like a jellyfish in the ocean of all the things I want to do and of course the list of things I have to do. Getting pulled or pushed in many directions, I often have good intentions but my execution is weak. So the blog...

Purpose: is to keep myself on track ans somewhat accountable to those who perhaps might stumble across my blog of for those who follow it. I have a list of the 12 dresses and 12 quilts I wish to make and ultimately is makes me happy to create a thing out of fabric and to learn new techniques from each project I make.

Process: as I go through the projects I will take pictures and describe what I did and why and where I got the inspiration. I always have a lot of anxiety before beginning a project, before making the first cut of the cloth and before the first few stitches/seams.

Projects: the list is long...12 dresses and 12 quilts...I do not know if this is too big for me but I will try to apply a theory I have come across and adapted to fit my needs. That is if I work a little bit at a time that eventually it will get done. I will post the list of projects soon.

Plan: I would like to accomplish all of this in a year...that being said, the holidays are coming!

I began in August where I made the' Ice Cream Social" dress (completed 8/8/10) and a pinwheel dolly quilt (8/21/10). I took pictures, documenting my process and progress. So I will post those pictures and thoughts soon because I would like to participate in the "Jumprope" sew-along and possibly the the Fat Quarterly" quilt along (which begins tomorrow, I think). I am also needing to finish a t-shirt quilt, made up of shirts I have collected form trips to Kauai.

So if you have come across this blog, I hope you enjoy it, are inspired to start or complete a sewing project or learn something from the many blogs I search who have taught me the techniques I will mention. I promise to always reference the blogs and sites that have shared so much of their talent.

Happy Creating!

Pinwheel Dolly Quilt

Friday 9/10/2010

So I am incorporating some better sewing habits such as reading all the instructions before beginning a project, pre-washing fabric and ironing. It was suggested to me to use 'color catchers' in the wash to catch and set the fabric color. These are very cool and now I have 10 or so 'color catchers' in various colors. They are 4 1/2 X 10 inches...I will have to find a project of some sort.

I came across the Pinwheel Dolly Quilt on a blog I like to follow, V and Co.,. She has a tutorial on how to make pinwheels, something I had never done before.

This is the cute blog I came across that inspired me to learn how to make pinwheels and a dolly quilt

Maybe someday I will make something big and beautiful like this...

I used Kona Cotton in Snow that I had left over from my 'Hawaiian Postcards' quilt...my first pieced quilt.

Using Omnigrid templates, I cut out both 2 1/2" and 4 1/2" squares...I just figured while I was cutting I could use up the fabric and have some squares cut for a project in the future.

All the pretty fabrics. Heather Bailey, Michael Miller and others...I forgot to save the selvedges.

I have them stacked and alternating from print to solid.





                                        
2 1/2" and 4 1/2" squares

I drew a line along the diagonal. Then drew lines 1/4" from the diagonal for the seams.

I stitched along the two lines, cut along the middle.

All the 1/4 pinwheels ironed and stacked.

All four squares sewn together to make 1 pinwheel.

9 pinwheels

Following the tutorial I added the sides, Kona Cotton in Snow and then added this pretty hibiscus flower pink fabric.

Another border of Snow

Big bright daisies for the backing and for the batting I used 'Warm & Natural'.

Ta Da! I used the binding technique I learned on the internet on Heather Bailey's blog/tutorials

I have to say I felt very proud of myself and making pinwheels is very addictive and fun. I finished this quilt on 8/8/2010...1 down 11 to go!

I am still playing catch-up so I will get to documenting the 'Ice Cream Social Dress', an Oliver & S pattern, I made. There are some left-over scraps from the dress in the quilt. I have learned to keep my scraps so I can make cute little dolly quilts or anything else crafty I happen to find on the internet.

Happy sewing!