Show and Tell Tuesday

Today I'm linking up with Randi at I Have To Say.  I love Randi's blog, and it was especially fun to visit there today and see her striking Pow Wow quilt.  It's a stunner.  I've always wanted to quilt with linen.  Her quilt is a great example of why I'm so tempted.  There's a lot of "WOW" in her Pow-Wow.  Ha!  :-)

I'm sharing a recent finish of my own today.  This project was in the works (on again, off again) for an entire year!  A super special quilt that was a looooooong time in the waiting.  It was a gift for my dear friend, Marci, in honor of her birthday.  We've had a running joke between us for many years about how she was waiting....waiting...waiting in line for a quilt.  We joked and laughed and poked a lot of fun about how she was "quiltless".  Well, quiltless no more!

The pattern is by Atkinson Designs, and the fabric is Butterscotch and Roses by my all time favorite, Fig Tree for Moda.  

I've never met a Fig Tree fabric I didn't like, but this line in particular has a great palette.  I love how the pale ice blue plays so well with the cozy reds and chocolate browns.  Blue is Marci's favorite color, but her house is primarily warm colors, so I thought this fabric line was a good match.

I auditioned several fabrics for the back, but I didn't want this to get too busy.  I settled on a Kona solid with a pieced inset.

 I did my usual embroidered label with a handwritten verse.  The verse for this quilt is Proverbs 27:7

"The heartfelt counsel of a friend

is as sweet as perfume

and incense."

AND THEN I did something I have never, ever done before.  I misspelled a word (in permanent pen) on her quilt!!!!!!!!!!!  OF ALL THE QUILTS!!!!!!!!!!  You would have to know my friend Marci to know why this floored me.  She is meticulous, and an accomplished technical writer.  Oh the horror!  That just made us laugh all the harder about her long awaited quilt.  Our beautiful friendship is one goofy example after another of how opposites attract.  (I'm the off scheduled misspeller in the relationship.)

Marci's family was coming over for dinner, so we hung her big surprise on the quilt rack in my den with some big signs on it.  We wanted to see how long it would take her to notice.

It took a long time!!  Ha!!!  Those were the longest appetizers I ever waited through.  :-)

It was a fun night, and I'm super happy to have this quilt done and living happily in its new home.  Every quilt is sentimental, but when the recipient is so extra special, it makes the project really stand out.  I love this quilt, and I love Marci too!!!

Marci and Me and the Birthday Blanket.  :-)

If you enjoy quilts and sewing projects, be sure and stop by Randi's blog today.  Thanks, Randi, for hosting a show and tell!

A Quilt For Baby Girl

A finish.  Finally.  Spring schedules don't leave an abundance of breathing room for creativity.

So, when a baby shower created a need for a gift, I jumped at the excuse to cut fabric.

Nothing beats playing with a color palette like this one.

Fabric is by Michael Miller.

The pattern is my own custom design.

This contemporary twist on the log cabin measures 45" square.

The backing was a happy accident.  I found a perfect coordinate (by chance!) at Joanne's and bought the end of the bolt, but I was still a good ten inches shy in both directions.  It took a lot of extra time to piece the scraps together and do these inserts, but the result left me liking the back of the quilt even more than the front.

This quilt is on it's way to live in Missouri, to welcome a new little blessing named Hannah Joy.

So fun.  And enough to whet my appetite for more sewing.

Luckily, I have no shortage of projects in the works......and recipients waiting in the wings.

Hoping the next several weeks provide a little more opportunity for time in the Brooke Nook.

Because a finish sure feels good!

Nichole's Birthday Quilt

The D's and R's came over tonight, so we could do a belated birthday celebration for Nichole. I didn't get a picture of the birthday girl, who was fresh off of a car trip and claiming a "bad hair day". (She looked ravishing.) I didn't get a picture of the pink angel food cake that I let Buzzard frost. I wasn't having much luck with it myself, so I handed my man a batch of homemade butter cream and an offset spatula and wished him luck.

Turns out, he needed it. But I didn't really mind having to scoop up little puddles of frosting off the platter to serve with each slice of half naked cake because what our little pink cake lacked in physical attractiveness it made up for in yumminess.

I gave Nichole her birthday quilt tonight, and despite some rather poor lighting, I managed to get a few pictures. I love how all my quilts have a bald head and white socks in my photos.

Best I can recall, I think I met Nichole about ten years ago. We became friends instantly. I was drawn to her because she is all the things I'm not but wish I was...highly organized, efficient, detail oriented, and thorough. She and Marci are two peas in a Type A pod. The way I see it, they allow me into the threesome and continue to put up with me because we round each other out.

We've shared a lot of special memories with the D's and R's through the years. We are comfortable enough to laugh together, trusting enough to cry together, close enough to celebrate together, and honored enough to pray for each other. And that's what growing old together is all about.

Happy birthday, Friend. Here's to many more memories to be made! :-)

Feeling Flaky

Let's just consider Texas part of the polar region. Northerners have nothing on us as far as climate goes. The same can probably not be said, however, when it comes to road maintenance equipment. We are experiencing our fifth snow day in two weeks. Schools were closed for four consecutive days last week, a first in Texas history, and they are closed again today.

I'm tickled pink. Maybe it is my northern upbringing. I apparently still have a trickle of yankee blood soaring through my veins, because I adore the snow. I actually made it out of the house over the weekend, and Emma actually got to attend mother's day out yesterday, so I am refreshed and recovered and feeling like the Cabin Fever of last week never even happened. I'm firing up my bread machine (again). I ventured to the grocery store at 5:30 last night, along with every other panicked soul in the metroplex. I circled the parking lot five times like a vulture looking for a spot. The thought of a snow day with no yeast on hand was incomprehensible. Did you know that during five o'clock traffic the night before a 90% chance of snow, my local Kroger can hold as many people as Texas stadium?? It's the honest truth. We all congregated in front of the dairy case. There was a sweep on eggs, the likes of which had not been seen since.....last Friday.

Wednesday is a huge day for us. Lots of activities. All cancelled, once again. Last week we missed homeschool classes, tutoring sessions, mother's day out, basketball practices, youth choir, Bible Bowl, etc, etc. Every time I answered the phone or checked email I had an announcement about another change of plans. So, Emma was playing with her My Pretty Ponies on the floor and I was listening to her. The ponies were cancelling things! HA!!

Today I want to wish my sweet friend Wendy a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I made Wendy a table runner for her cheery blue and yellow kitchen. Buzzard and I went on a date to the candle store, where I made him sniff every single yellow, blue, and white candle to pick one that matched the runner. Good thing he liked one that was the perfect shade of yellow!

Wendy is my quilting buddy, and is also a homeschool Mom. We got to spend a few minutes together yesterday to share a cup of tea, and trade our plans for today. We're both starting out the day with special pastries for our families. (Mine are only store bought cinnamon rolls, but they still set the stage for a snow day.) We'll both do school with our kids, then try to sneak in some extra sewing time. SNOW DAY = SEW DAY, right Wendy?? Whatever she does, I hope she has a wonderful day. She is one of those people who just makes life better by sharing it with you.

Now I'm off to wake my kids and talk my Buzzard into starting a fire. We're starting a new read aloud today, so I'm piling the couch with extra quilts and settling in to watch our accumulation develop. I'm hoping for a snowman by noon. :-)

Lazy Daisy Quilts

Finished a pink and green quilt for Marci's daughter, Emily.

We were able to give it to her last night.

Today I'm launching my new blog, all about my quilting adventures.

I'm calling it Lazy Daisy Quilts, and you can find it HERE!

I'll now have a place where I can yarn on about fabrics and threads without boring the rest of my family to tears. :) You can read more about Emily's quilt over at Lazy Daisy.

I'm Claiming Brain Freeze

Today we ventured out, risking life and limb, to make it to the Super Target. We are on our third snow day in a row, and while I wasn't in any particular need of a specific grocery item, I HAD TO GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE. So, noticing we were running low on Dawn dish soap, I made hasty plans to brave the sheets of ice covering every inch of this city in a desperate attempt to make contact with the outside world.

It's the strangest thing. I'm a total homebody. Until I'm stuck at home. Then all I can think about are places to go!

We had fun. We bundled up and stopped at Starbuck's first to spend a few Christmas gift cards. The boys were ready for a break, so I let them wander the toy isle while Hannah, Emma and I spent time smelling shampoos, reading cereal box labels, and picking out new striped socks. Honestly. We just needed to get out, and were up for any excuse. Perhaps that state of mind will somehow contribute to an explanation of my little impulse purchase.

I've recently noticed a trend among several of my favorite quilt blogs. At the risk of sounding slightly competitive, I don't fancy the notion of missing out on a quilting trend. :-)

It seems that the Blythe doll is in vogue. You know her? She is a big eyed, retro, waif. Quilters are snatching her up, and have taken to fashioning clothes for her. I can't say that I'm totally smitten, but I do find her mildly fascinating. However, her $200 price tag is a major turn off. Well, leave it to some frugal bloggers to spill some interesting beans. There is a mini-Blythe available right now as part of the Little Pet Shop line sold at Target and Walmart.

Well now. This is handy knowledge.

It must have been a severe case of cabin fever, fueled by a burning desire to stay in Target as long as possible (since I probably won't be leaving the house again for several days) that drove me to the toy isle. Or maybe it was the knowledge that quilters everywhere have a toy that I didn't.

Regardless.

Meet mini Blythe. There are several styles available, igniting the possibility of a future collection. But of the choices available today, she was by far the most fetching. I adore the red poppy in her hair, and her black and white ruffled mini is the bomb.

Emma already brushed her hair. (Drat!) But I think if she had the perfect do AND the four centimeter waist, she might seem a little intimidating. Plus, she can use her Jackie-O's to tuck her wispy fly-aways behind her teensy ears.

She's too small to sew for, but is the the perfect size to sit on the shelf in my quilt space. Plus, her diminutive size came with a diminutive price tag, which made getting in touch with my inner child seem simple to rationalize.

She's queen of the quilting quarters. She makes notions look sporty.

And I love her. So, I've now taken the next step in establishing myself as a cutting edge, contemporary quilter. I have the right toy. :-)

The Brooke Nook

I've been waiting to reveal the special little space I have been working on in my house. The truth is that the space isn't finished yet, and I didn't want to show it off until it was looking all cute and fully spiffy. The rest of the truth is that I've been too busy enjoying the space to take the time to finish decorating it. I know myself well enough to know that it probably won't be spit shined any time soon, so I'm letting you peek into my unfinished, unpainted corner. :-)

a.k.a. "The Brooke Nook".

I revamped a corner of our master bedroom and created a quilting studio. (Buzzard is a saint.) I like to call it a "studio" because it sounds so official and legit. Like my mad sewing skills somehow qualify me as someone worthy of a dedicated space to chop up fabric scraps. But hey, ever since we moved the baby out of our room and into her own, this space has gone largely unused. (Unless you count the cute chairs that used to be there to hold all the laundry that was waiting to be put away.)

My favorite thing about this new space is that I can leave my projects set up all the time, so when I have a spare moment or two I can sit down and work. I didn't have that luxury when I was sewing at the kitchen table, because my mojo got disrupted every time someone wanted to do something crazy like eat dinner.

Now that I have a STUDIO, I can go about my business of preparing both Kraft mac and cheese and half square triangles, simultaneously and completely unhindered. :-)

The desks, shelves, and drawers came from Ikea. (You can read about it here.) I found that fabulous chair at an office supply store. Dang if it isn't uncomfortable, heavy to move, and the absolute wrong height. Of course, I didn't know any of those things when I bought it, but I'm so dearly in love with it's astounding cuteness that it is staying. Forever. Form before function. :-)

I have lots of storage for my PhD's. (Projects half done.) I can now hide them away in style. The grand plan is to make a black and white skirt to go around the outside of the table, to cover up those ugly plastic drawers and all the dangling cords that make me crazy. I also have some black picture frames to hang on the wall with black and white family photos. That will get done as soon as the room gets painted, which, in my defense, has been understandably delayed since Sherwin Williams decided to offer me 914 shades of green. And brown. (Or do I like that lone blue one???)

My shelf holds my design books and folders, and the corner holds my netbook for pulling up quilt blogs! Henrietta is posted in the other corner, guarding the snacks.

This is the star of the show. Her name is Big Ethel, and she came to town on Santa's sleigh. (The trunk of my mother's Toyota!) She is a dream machine, on all accounts, and she was the most wonderful surprise ever!!!!!!!

My favorite feature is the automatic thread cutter. It's one of those luxuries you wonder how you ever lived without. She's fast and accurate and smooth, and she cuts thread. She's a total package. :-)

I'm learning how to punch all her buttons, and in the process, she's punching a few of mine! It's a learning curve, but she can do all sorts of wonderful things that will give me yearssssss of creative license. In my studio. :-)

Just this morning I had an urgent request to perform emergency surgery. I had help.

Thankfully, our patient pulled through just fine, and now one of our very favorite friends is as good as new. Except with a pierced ear.

So, if I'm not schooling, or cooking, or driving to various activities, or searching for missing basketball uniform components, or wandering around with my camera, this is where you'll find me. In my very own little nook. Snipping...

...sorting...

...and stacking!...

I'm one lucky girl. :-)

Stacy's Quilt

The quilt I made for Stacy for Christmas was based on this tutorial from Moda Bake Shop. I used the Aster Manor fabric line by Moda. It was all stitched up just in the nick of time.




I did straight line machine quilting. I had lots of trouble with the quilting on this one, which I am at a bit of a loss to explain. I didn't do anything different on this quilt than I normally do, but for some reason, I had some fits. Must have been the pressure of a deadline! In the end, I was satisfied, but my seam ripper got a good work out in the meantime.
This is the label I embroidered, using a free hand embroidery pattern I found online. The verse for this quilt comes from Romans....Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

This quilt has now traveled to its new home in Boston, where I hope it is keeping Stacy warm and reminding her of her long distance family!