Quilt Wrestling

Sometimes quilting turns a bit athletic, especially when you are trying to trim and square a king-sized quilt, and then sew on the binding. It's heavy and it requires some tricky maneuvering.

And you add to the degree of difficulty by not removing all extraneous things from your sewing table.

So you start trimming block by block, starting with the pink corner.

Moving on to the blue side.

And then the green.

And saving the best for last. Orange, of course!

Jessie had already made miles of binding.

And I did set up an extra table to help support the weight when I finally started sewing the binding on.

Mark has been experimenting this week with making "restaurant style" enchiladas. Not the kind you bake in the oven, but the kind they make in Mexican restaurants. The kind they stick under the broiler to melt the cheese and then always say, "Be careful. The plate is really hot." I think he has pretty much perfected the recipe. But, shhhhhh. Don't tell him. I want him to keep experimenting. And it's a good thing he was experimenting last night. Because I was able to do some major carb loading before my wrestling match!

Ah......

The other night Mark and I watched Charlotte and Levi while Aaron and Christa went to see "so you think you can dance." I had already fed the kids when Mark showed up after work. He had just sat down at the kitchen table when Charlotte looks at him and says in a very grown-up voice (remember, she is only 3), "So, Grandpa...how was your day?"

So smart, and so cute.

Here is a picture of the pink princess pillowcase I made for her bed, complete with the green border of frogs. I am posting it here because the fabric is so cute, Charlotte loves pink and princesses, and this is a good way to make something fast that doesn't involve making an entire quilt!

Rainbow Sherbet

For awhile now, I have been a fan of the color orange. Lately, I think it looks even better when combined with pink.

photo from glimmerglossglow.com

A peak at some recent fabric purchases. Draw your own conclusions.

I have started a collection of pictures of pink and orange quilts (and to those fabulous quilt artists who made these, I'm really sorry I wasn't better at documenting where these pictures came from--because these quilts rock! )

And then there was the series of fortunate events. Jessie posted about the cute slippers she had made. And I happened to make this comment: "Can I place an order? I would like a combo of pink and orange, please ...Oh, and the trim could be pink on one slipper and orange on the other. That way they wouldn't be too matchy-matchy. You know how I am about being mismatched."

Well, apparently the whole order thing kind of took off, and Jessie is now in the slipper-making business.

And yesterday, look what I got!! Even the buttons are slightly different from each other. Perfectly mismatched.

Thinking about Christmas already? Well, then I would recommend thinking about placing an order at this fabulous little etsy shop.

My feet got an early Christmas present.And now they just want to dance a little jig (and in honor of Jessie, I might even throw in a little squeal).

Shades of Pink and Coral

This is my latest piece.
I find it very calming and decided to call it "Early Sunday Morning".
Sunday mornings around my home are generally very low key and easy going. Early in the morning there's a feeling of tranquility which even seems to translate into the light that shines in through the windows. I get the same feeling from these gentle shades of coral and pink.


I love how the quilting turned out. It was one of those splendid accidents. I had just oiled my machine and was sewing a piece of scrap fabric through, something I always do after an oiling... it helps to get all of the oil distributed... and my hand accidently hit on a stitch that I never use, and as I moved my hand away I wound up accidently swiping the stitch length control. Because I was just doing maintenance, I went ahead and started stitching on the scrap fabric... And to my delight I loved what I saw being stitched! Amazing what a little adjustment in stitch length and width can do. Note to self: Explore more stitches and variations of the stitches on sewing machine.


I am putting this one in my functional art quilts category, because I think it works equally well on the wall and on the table.


Early Sunday Morning-Modern Functional Art Quilt measures 23.5" x 36.5" and is available in my
Silly BooDilly shop.

Note: This quilt has been sold.

Pretty Pink Trailers, (Beauty is Everywhere)

Hubby and I went for a drive today, and we went past one of my favorite sights, this old pink trailer, with the wonderful curved metal porch roof. (Yes, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder!) I actually had my camera with me, (I usually forget to bring it along) and finally got a photo of this old slice of americana pie.


After I got home, I noticed this one particular artist on the front page treasury of Etsy. I checked out
Aliette's wonderful shop and to my surprise found this terrific print of a delightful pretty pink trailer! Love at first sight! Bought it immediately, and can't wait to get it, frame it, hang it, and adore it!