My Point Oh Two

Cape Ann boy quilt

2012-01-28T09:27:00.001-06:00

Because I am a fan of 30s fabrics, I bought a charm pack of Cape Ann fabrics from Oliver + S.

Although there are several cuts which should have been fussy cut to preserve the print, there were quite a few prints that I liked.

I've challenged myself to make 3 baby quilts from the charm pack. It should be interesting since there are only 37 usable charms. Here is the first quilt:

The next quilt will be designed for a baby girl using pink and gray fabrics. Stay tuned...

Have a great weekend folks!

W.I.P.'ing myself (not to be confused with wiping)

2012-01-25T15:35:00.001-06:00

For the first time ever, I find myself in a quandary: I have 2 quilts that need to be bound, 2 quilts that need borders and 1 that needs to be hand quilted.

So tell me dear reader...why, oh, why did I start another one?

Later peeps!

Henry's quilt

2012-01-21T09:55:00.000-06:00

I gifted Henry's quilt to his soon-to-be adoptive parents. The baby shower was last night at 7:00 but since DYH and I are exhausted parents, we left at 8:30 just before the games began.

Here's another shot of the quilt before I sewed on the binding:

I also included this little combo purchased from Uncommon Goods. It says "I was worth the wait". I think it is absolutely perfect.

I'm a little disappointed that we didn't stick around for the gift opening so I hope they liked them both.

I'll leave you with the last picture I took of Lattice Love. I've made more progress than this picture shows and only have 2 more rows to sew onto the quilt top.

Three cheers for progress!

Ahhh....

2012-01-16T15:25:00.000-06:00

A new quilt top finished, a day off from work with pay and Turner Classic Movies...

What more could a girl ask for?

Tea for two

2012-01-14T17:21:00.000-06:00

Liv and I are hosting our first annual tea party for girls next month. So we practiced making cookies and lifting our tea cups with pinkie fingers out. (Check her out wearing the apron I made!)

She was so proud of the chocolate chip cookies that she baked. My only contribution was to help her mix the ingredients and put the cookies into the oven.

All in all the cookies turned out deliciously and there were no misadventures.

That is, unless you count the canine vultures in the background. See you next week peeps!

Trying it on for size

2012-01-07T09:50:00.003-06:00

This past summer I was shopping in Kohl's and saw a quilt that I adored. As I was looking it over, I saw a major problem with construction. The quilting was shoddy, the blocks was crookedly sewn and the fabric wasn't great quality.

So I quickly sketched out the block design in my handy-dandy-notebook and filed it away as one to make later.

I've since tweaked the design and am still working out whether I want to use white or orange for the setting squares so the final quilt might look different.

But you see where I'm going with it...it's called Lattice Love.

Have a great weekend!

Planting seeds

2012-01-03T09:08:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite online stores is Uncommon Goods. DYH bought me a bonsai forest kit for Christmas and I planted it yesterday. Granted it will take about 3 or 4 years for the seeds to grow to the height in the picture above and I've never been known as the patient type. But someone once said that patience is a virtue so we'll see how the forest and I fare.

Speaking of planting seeds, I do believe I have 2 quilters in the making. Check out this picture:

Yes - my fabric closet is usually a mess...but not this messy. Melodie and Miya came over during the school break and nearly drowned themselves in fabric. They went through all my scraps and chose some fabrics to make doll quilts for their new Baby Alive dolls. (Aside: why do girls want toys that pee and poo?)

Anyway, I think they did a good job on color selection and piecing. I just have to finish the binding on Miya's purple quilt and they'll both be done!

Yesterday the tribe and I hung out watching Seventh Heaven episodes most of the day since it was way too cold to play outside. It's a Disney and Nickelodeon world now but I was thrilled that the children all loved Seventh Heaven.

Here's hoping that 2012 is your year of planting seeds too!

Boomerang Christmas

2011-12-25T22:30:00.000-06:00

Remember these kids? Funny how life has a way of throwing a boomerang at you. The week before Christmas, no less.

So we're doing the best we can with what we have. Christmas came and went with smiles and tears--a repeat of each day for the last seven.

Our biological children don't know any different. Mom and Dad are here to dispense love and discipline as they always have. Our new babies are as uncertain as their future.

Truth be told, their story is sad. It would bring a grown man to tears but it's not ours to tell. We will respect their privacy and hope that the day comes when it's safe to share.

We don't know what the future holds. But until then, may your (and our) lives be filled with hope, abundance and all the love your heart can hold.

From the Kurtz family to yours Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Of Murder and Mice (in Tights)

2011-12-07T11:45:00.001-06:00

For the first time ever, I attended the ballet...and with my beautiful daughter as companion!

Liv and I went to see The Nutcracker this past Saturday at the beautiful (and uncomfortably seated) Orpheum Theater in Memphis. Granted she fell asleep before the life-sized rodents and murder of the Mouse King, but I had a grand old time!

She looks so elegant in her silver glitter dress with matching shoes. I think she'll wear it again to our Christmas service at church.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my first ballet than with my favorite girl.

My Favorite Things

2011-12-04T15:25:00.001-06:00

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Ah...Christmas time is here and I'm loving every minute of it. You know, my favorite thing about gift giving (and receiving) is the wrapping paper. Gift wrap reflects more about the gift giver than it does the person receiving the gift.

I think the choices one makes on whether to buy a gift bag or gift wrap, gives you a little insight into their personality. Generally speaking, guys tend to buy gift bags since they don't want to fuss too much with those dangerous, exacting tools called scissors and tape.

Me? I am very much a traditionalist. For example, I use newspaper comic strips to wrap gifts for children. Just yesterday, I wrapped a gift for one of Elliot's friends. The paper was dated August 31, 2009. How's that for a relic?

I also stock up on kraft paper, cute ribbons and raffia. One Christmas, the kids and I colored pictures on a long roll of butcher block paper. The festive paper made for a very memorable gift giving session with family.

Okay...enough babbling about the peculiarities of gift wrap. Here's why I really popped in to share:

A red and white tree skirt! The design and misplaced points are all mine. LOL!

Have a great week folks,

Aye, aye captain!

2011-11-26T15:36:00.001-06:00

Remember the Little Boy Blue quilt I did a few months back?

It was the quickie baby quilt where I didn't take a picture of the blocks on the design wall before I sewed the top together. Later I realized that there was a block that stuck out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, it was a corner block so all went okay with the replacement.

Well, Little Boy Blue has met the high seas. Check out this nautical quilting done by Ms. Linda.

I couldn't decide on whether to do a meandering stitch but I think the boats and waves are perfect with the blue fabric. This will go to a soon-to-be-adopted baby boy.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend peeps!

Lucky 3's

2011-11-23T18:01:00.001-06:00

First things first...we have a winner for the Z'ing Stars quilt pattern!

There were only 3 peeps who commented on the giveaway post which are pretty good odds. (Too bad the lottery doesn't work this way.) Although he isn't a quilter, I was sure that DYH was going to enter. LOL!

So, Anita from Bloomin' Workshop...come on down! Just respond to my email with your mailing address and I'll mail the pattern to you. If you haven't checked out Anita's blog, it is a must read. Her photography skills? Killer. 'Nuff said.

I was thinking about the spirit of thanksgiving and how easy it is to slip into moan-gripe-complain mode when I happened upon this...

I bought this hacky sack for Elliot while I was in Peru this past summer. Boys being who they are, he promptly busted a hole in the top of it and asked me to repair it. Shame on me that I now use it as a pin cushion.

Gratitude reflection #1: Having a son who thinks I can fix anything.

And while we're talking about kids, here is an apron I made for Liv to accompany her Easy Bake oven she is getting for Christmas. Okay, so she's (almost) 4 years old and the minimum age for those things is 8...bah! I'll be supervising her anyway, so viva la Easy Bake!

Gratitude reflection #2: Being mom to a girly girl.

Which leads me to my 3rd gratitude reflection...Josh - my favorite guy in the entire world.

Happy Thanksgiving folks!

Another one bites the dust...

2011-11-18T11:56:00.001-06:00

Queue the Queen music folks...this quilt top is done!

Other than being a test for the Z'ing Stars pattern, I totally loved making this quilt. I'm going to head out in a bit to see if I can't find a coordinating fabric for the backing.

Sidebar: Does anyone else wait until the quilt is done to buy the backing or is that just me?

Oh and I'd like to give away a print of the Z'ing Stars pattern to one of my cherished readers. I'll mail it to you since the file is super humongous.

Just leave a comment and I'll do a drawing on Thanksgiving Eve.

And while I'm sharing...here's an earworm for ya.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, peeps!

Girly smiles and a quilt remix

2011-11-13T08:47:00.001-06:00

Well, peeps...the weather has changed and my sinuses are responding accordingly. I love the fall but the hot-cold temperature changes in the south are brutal. On to more positive subjects...

The castle bed was a hit with Liv. Since she now has a castle from which to reign, it was only fitting that she wear her Rapunzel dress. The tiara even had a blonde hair extension in it. What a riot!

I finished all the friendships stars for the remix Z'ing Stars quilt.

I used some pinkish-reds for the girl version. Half are from the DS Quilts line and the others are just cute fabrics I like.

I have never used Pomegranate from the Kona solids line but think it coordinates perfectly.

Up next: I'll be making the flying geese inner border to finish testing the quilt pattern.

Wish me luck!

Castle peeps over here!

2011-11-05T13:15:00.001-05:00

No, not that Castle Peeps.

This castle, peeps...

Liv's 4th birthday is just around the corner. Since Grandma and Papa offered to have a sleep-over last night, Dear Young Hubby (DYH) and I took advantage of the kid-free time and put together her new castle bed.

I am not normally a Wal-Mart shopper and avoid visiting the store if at all possible. But DYH and I stumbled upon this bed during our many internet searches and just loved it from the get go. (It also didn't hurt that the price point was very affordable.)

Since Liv is such a morning person, it will be a thrill for her to go down the slide each morning.

Truth be told, we are giddy. She hasn't seen it yet but I think it will blow her mind! Her dolly looks pretty jazzed too.

As with all projects, there is always something I wish I had done differently. After putting this together, I realized there is a vast blank slate under the loft bed.

I could leave it without anything on the floor...but where's the fun in that?

Later peeps!

I'm still here...

2011-10-29T15:12:00.001-05:00

...but I'll either be crazy or have given up before this quilt pattern is done.

I don't know how pattern-makers do it. I get in this vicious cycle where I'm checking the quilt math over and over. Then I realize there is a typo...so I have to fix that. Then I re-check it and find something else. Gah!

There is a reason that errata posts exist.

Anywho, lest you think I've been totally unproductive, here are the first 4 blocks I've made for the second Z'ing Stars quilt.

Since I wanted to make a baby girl quilt, this was the perfect ~~excuse~~ opportunity to go shopping for new fabric. I picked up some more prints from the DS quilts collection at JoAnn's and am using a new (to me) solid color from Kona.

Oh, and I don't think I've shared this before but I made a bow-tie onesie and baby shoes to match the first Z'ing Stars quilt.

I listed this and the quilt in my shop but really don't want anyone to buy them. LOL!

I am so droll.

Later peeps!

Scrabble coasters rule

2011-10-20T08:02:00.000-05:00

Question: How do I pull myself out of a funk?

Answer: Make something.

I saw some Scrabble coasters on Etsy recently and thought...I could make that for a lot cheaper than they're selling them. So I ordered a lot of 100 Scrabble tiles and picked up a cork roll from Joann Fabrics.

I already had the Mod Podge and spray adhesive on hand and made 6 quirky coasters for about $10. Not bad, eh?

I simply chose 16 tiles, glued them on cork already cut to size and sealed the bottom of the coasters with Mod Podge. Easy peasy.

Oh and I love that they make quick word games for guests.

Have a crafty day folks!

Juxtaposition

2011-10-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

When I was in elementary school, I learned the meaning of the word, juxtaposition.

The definition of the word is "the placement of two things close to another". And early education being what it is, it's not often that you see concepts played out in real life 30+ years later...but I can confidently state that our lives over the past month have been in juxtaposition.

One minute you're up, the next one you're down. That's life.

Two weeks ago, Josh's grandmother, Grammy, moved to the south to be close to us and her great-grandbabies (Elliot & Olivia). One week later she was in the hospital diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and pneumonia.

This past Friday she died, valiantly struggling for air as she clenched Josh's and my father-in-law, Jeff's, hands.

This is my quilty space and I try not to be too preachy here...but how are your loved ones today?

Is there someone in your life that you haven't spoken to in a long while? Well...there is still time to make amends, make the call.

What about you? Do you [fill in the blank] even though you know it's bad for your health? What's keeping you from making a change for the better? Today is a good day to make a change.

How is your faith? Do you believe in the saving grace of Jesus? If so, has your relationship with Him deepened or are you just treadin' water?

You say you're agnostic or an atheist? Okay, I hear you...you have questions, well so do I. Let's talk about it. I don't have all the answers but I do have hope and I want to share it with you.

So...I'll be back.

We are mourning but only for a little while.

Psalm 30:5 ESV - Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Yours,

Z'ing Stars...finished!

2011-10-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

Don'tcha just love a good finish?

I quilted Z'ing Stars using a loopy motif in the center and free-form stars in the borders. It finished up quickly so I relished the hand-stitching of the binding.

My modus operandi is to hand-stitch baby quilt binding and machine quilt the binding for larger quilts since they get more use (and, hence, dirtier).

Here are some parting shots of Z'ing Stars. It was such a fun project to complete.

Stay tuned...a tutorial is coming!

It's Fall Y'all

2011-09-23T11:44:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day of autumn and I'm feeling especially wistful. Not for spring nor summer but for the little ones that got away.

We found out a week or so ago that the State has chosen another adoptive family for these beautiful babies. I've cried enough tears to drown my sorrows but still can't shake this feeling of rejection. I admit it...I got way ahead of myself on this one.

I already imagined what it would be making Halloween costumes x 6 or hearing them all run down the stairs on Christmas morning or just your garden-variety "Mom, [fill in the name] is touching me!"

Alas, it was not to be.

I'm done having babies and I know it...two difficult pregnancies proved that. So I think the Kurtz family will be a tribe of four for the foreseeable future.

So as not to end on a totally somber note, I'm leaving you with Leaves by Elsie N. Brady. It's one of my favorite poems about fall.

Leaves

How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.

From here to there

2011-09-22T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Z'ing Stars top is done!

From this:

To this:

I opted for 1 3/4" half-square triangles in the corners and just love how the solid border allows the blocks to do all the talking.

Ahh, I see quilting in my future.

Feeling Sketchy

2011-09-17T17:06:00.000-05:00

Happy weekend peeps!

I thought I'd pop in to share my latest quilt sketches with you. Although I know there are computer programs that let you design quilts more easily, I just love sitting with freshly sharpened color pencils and graph paper.

So I made a couple of drafts for the DS fabrics I bought a couple weeks ago. Here is the first one:

Meh. I made a similar quilt and was just not feeling the love with this one. Back to the drawing board...literally.

Here is option numero dos:

I've never made Friendship Stars before so thought those might be fun to make. Here is the quilt in progress. LOVE IT!

I need to decide what to put in those corners and add borders then the top will be done. I've named it "Z'ing Stars". Can you guess why?

I'm flirting with the idea of making up a tutorial for it because it was such a blast to make. Wonder if I could convince dear young hubby to quilt along with me?

Peace,

P.S. Remember those green pants Josh bought? He took them back. Yay! I so did not marry Mr. Green Jeans.

Shopping

2011-09-04T18:39:00.001-05:00

Today I went fabric shopping. First, I perused the stash in my closet where I found this Riley Blake line:

Score!

I think I'll use it for a coin quilt.

And it's been months since I've bought any new fabric...so I used a couple of Joann's coupons and bought some of the (in)famous Denise Schmidt fabrics.

I'm still working out the quilt design for that one.

Dear young hubby decided that he wanted go shopping for himself too. He came back with green pants.

Oy vey.

Our Tribe is Increasing

2011-08-29T16:17:00.000-05:00

There is a reason for my absence.

Correction: there are actually four reasons that I've been missing in action and their names are Tyesha, Katrina, Makiya and Jaden.

L to R: Jaden, Tyesha, Katrina, Makiya

A while back, Josh and I contacted an agency to do a foster care-to-adopt application. We applied, were accepted and months passed with no word.

Imagine my surprise when I got a call at work asking if we would consider a sibling group of four.I immediately said, "Yes!" and then thought I should probably ask my husband first, right?

After much prayer and many questions for the adoption coordinator, we decided to move ahead with bringing the children into our home. Logistically, this will be a challenge...how to go from a family of four to a family of eight?

We still have lots more stuff to get through: orientation classes, interviews, site visits, etc. (sigh)

Anyway, I'll part with individual pics of the kids:

Tyesha - 9 years

Katrina - 6 years

Makiya - 4 years

Jaden - 2 years

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Later peeps,

Little Boy Blue

2011-08-21T19:19:00.000-05:00

I whipped together this blue quilt before my mission trip to Peru and discovered that one of the blocks didn't fit in with the others.

Thankfully it was in the corner and there wasn't much work in removing the rogue block from the quilt.

So I have finally replaced the darker blue-ish gray with a more sensible blue.

I like this simple boy quilt so much more now. This wasn't a labor intensive quilt...just something to pass the time so I think a meandering stitch will suit the quilting just fine.

Happy Sunday!

Am I The Only One?

2011-08-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

Funny thing happened today. I realized that I don't have a quilty style.

Horrors!

You see...I dabble in many different styles.

Modern.

Gnome Parade

Traditional.


Plain & Simple

Art quilts.

Midnight with the Birches

And story quilts.

The Day Greenie Stepped Out of Line

Hand quilted.

Citrus Carolina

Machine quilted.

Boot Scootin' Baby

Lap-sized.

Lauren's UF Gators quilt

And miniature.

Valentine's Mini

Quilts for big people.

Americana Stars

Quilts for wee ones.

Joshua's quilt

Quilts to swap.

A Star is Born

And quilts I wish I'd kept.

Heart Afire

Tell me, friend. Does that make me quilt-o-phrenic?

Primitive gameboard

2011-08-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

This primitive checkers quilt top is finished!

If you recall, I sketched this quilt while doodling around with Liv. She practiced drawing and writing the letters of her name; I dreamed up this fun little checkerboard.

The real life version is not far off from the sketch. The only difference is that I added a fence and removed the gray outhouse.

And no saltbox house would be complete without smoke wafting from the chimney.

You know what my favorite part of this quilt is? The little lamb jumping the fence. He is so full of joy.

I'll share more pictures once the hand quilting is complete.

Hope you're having a "jumping the fence" kind of day!

Baptist Fan...almost

2011-08-12T10:52:00.000-05:00

Dear reader,

Remember that A.P.B. I put out last week?

Well, I have a new longarm quilter, Linda at Longarming.com, and highly recommend her work!

Linda calls herself The Smiling Quilter. She was a joy to work with, had very reasonable fees and did a beautiful job on the Southern Stars quilt.

We selected a quilt design called Baptist Fan Almost. I love the pattern and think the flowers add just the right touch of femininity to the quilt.

Here is a shot of the back. Quilted perfectly...not too tight and not too loose. I can't wait to get the binding on this so I can give it to my mom.

Happy Friday!

Asiyah

We interrupt this blog...

2011-08-09T08:34:00.001-05:00

...to bring you some very disturbing pictures. If you don't have a stomach for senseless carnage I advise you to turn away now. Consider yourself warned...

Yesterday, I was going from room to room picking up things and returning them to their rightful places when I picked up on an odd trend.

At first it wasn't noticeable...just a sense that things were a bit off kilter.

But at each turn, there was a dastardly trail of misdeed. Who?

Who is responsible for the horrible eye gouging of stuffed animals?

What could drive someone to harm helpless playthings?

Even sequined puppy purses weren't spared from the jaws of...of...a MONSTER.

Poor Mr. Dinosaur, even your razor-sharp claws and carnivore abilities were no match for...

Hershey, the wild eyed canine!

Okay peeps, I have officially wasted 5 minutes of your life and mine that we will never get back. Oh the things that make me giggle.

As you were!

School days

2011-08-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

Elliot is now in first grade and is adapting to school again. He was so happy to see all of his friends and it reminded me of those back-to-school days from my childhood.

I'm not sure why the first days of school make me wistful for autumn, primitive decorations and crisp days when everything turns gold. (sigh)

Since I am in a fall mood, despite the 100+ degree temperatures, I started another checkerboard quilt in the primitive style. I have another border and some applique work to complete.

Check out my drawing...Liv and I were sketching on construction paper with crayons and I attempted my first draft.

Happy days!

Quilters A.P.B.

2011-08-04T18:42:00.000-05:00

My mom's birthday is on August 29th and I've decided to gift her this quilt.

The problem: I don't have time to quilt it and haven't heard back from my usual long-arm quilter!

Anyone willing to share their quilter with me? Pretty please?

Thanks in advance!

Sold!

2011-08-02T13:37:00.000-05:00

Hi peeps,

Remember this quilt? Well, I am happy to report it sold on Etsy. It was actually a very easy process so I'm not sure why I was reluctant to open a shop in the first place.

Anyway, I guess that means I have to make more stuff to sell so my shop doesn't look abandoned. Not a bad endeavor though...

Oh, and pay no attention to the crazy woman in the corner. It's just me doing my happy dance.

Later!

Folk Town finish

2011-07-31T13:27:00.000-05:00

Although I took the Folk Town quilt with me to Peru, I never got to actually work on it. After I returned home, I made it a priority to finish it so we could use it.

If you recall, I paper-pieced the top and bottom borders of Folk Town. I machine quilted each of the checkerboard squares and hand quilted around the houses and trees. After realizing that no quilting would be visible in the grass (side borders) because of the fabric I chose, I ended up hand quilting rows of diagonal stitch that mirrored the lines in the fabric.

I also made this neat little drawstring bag to hold the checker pieces. It's a nice little addition to an otherwise ordinary quilt.

Josh and I played the inaugural game of checkers yesterday, whereupon he argued me on the rules of the game. After I won, he consulted Google and found out I was right.

What did we do before Google?

Day 7 in Peru: The People of Peru

2011-07-21T15:33:00.004-05:00

Today is my last day in Trujillo so I'm leaving you with pictures of some of the Peruvian people I have come to love and the only words that suffice for this trip: the Bible.

Matthew 25:35-40 (ESV)

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me,

I was in prison and you came to me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, saying,

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you,

as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Dios te bendiga (God bless you),
Asiyah

Day 6 in Peru: To Market, To Market

2011-07-21T06:34:00.004-05:00

After our work in Parque Industrial, we took a field trip to the market. Although Trujillo has outdoor malls, the market is the primary way for most Trujillanos to shop.

There are scores of live animals both for sale and butchering. Guinea pig or cuy is considered a delicacy here in Peru. Because guinea pigs don't require as much space as cows or pigs and reproduce quickly, they are the ideal meat for many here.

(Aside: We walked through the butcher shop where I gagged almost nonstop. Finally I had to leave to get some fresh air. You'll be glad to know I am not sharing any pictures of that.)

I learned recently that Peru is the 3rd largest shoemaker in the world. At market, we saw many vendors making shoes in various stages.

I wanted to stop and buy a pair but we were advised to keep moving since the market is thick with people, including thieves.

July 28th is Peru's Independence Day; on that day there will be several bullfights at the bullring near the market. I'll admit that I'm really glad I won't be here to see it.

Finally, I'll leave you with a picture of this beautiful Catholic church just outside of the city center.

Today will be jam-packed with activities, so I'll be back tomorrow with my final post about the Peru mission trip.

Shalom,
Asiyah

Day 5 in Peru: Character Building

2011-07-20T06:25:00.008-05:00

Day five in Peru and we've returned to work in Parque Industrial. The day before we cleaned up a lot of trash.

And found several bones including the jawbone in this picture. I really believe the site was a trash dump for the residents.

I am astounded by the creativity in engineering and construction of the Peruvians. One of the workers showed me how to bend rebar, using some pretty rudimentary tools. The team and I bent 90 rebar rectangles to be used to build up the wall of the health clinic.

We also moved many, many rocks from the front of the property to the middle of the plot. So when today's work consisted of moving yesterday's rocks to another pile, I was a little flustered.

Confession alert: My sinful heart thought, "why didn't you just tell us to move these rocks where they were going to end up?"

Isn't that just like us to want to know the end before we begin the work?

God doesn't call us to labor where we already know the payoff. He calls us to work to build our character.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (ESV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Today, challenge yourself to do whatever work the Lord has called you to with joy and an open-heart. I know I will.

Asiyah

Day 4 in Peru: The World is Not So Different

2011-07-18T17:16:00.009-05:00

Today we drove north of Trujillo to Parque Industrial where our work for the week began. Parque Industrial lies in the shadow of a mountain range and consists mostly of factories and small shops, hence the name Industrial Park.

However, there are several blocks of residential homes. The neighborhood is rough and is the territory of five gangs. Scores of dogs run loose through the streets and people seem to be more suspicious of our presence than when we were in the city.

In Parque Industrial, there is a school that spans two blocks and a few churches that appeared to be abandoned. Here we met with Percy who pastors at Presbiteriana El Redentor (Redeemer Presbyterian).

Pastor Percy led our morning devotion and we spent some time in prayer and encouragement of one another. I was nearly brought to tears thinking of how the first church probably worshiped under similar circumstances.

As dire as the situation is here in Parque Industrial, I am reminded the God is still in the ghetto. Poverty and sickness are not out of His reach. He truly preserves a remnant for His own glory.

Job 28:10 (ESV)

¹⁰He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.

The lesson I learned today is that people are more alike than they are dissimilar.

The Church is universal. It is the same here as it is in Hernando, Mississippi where I worship. Yes - the edifice may look different or the music style or order of worship may be unique but the Church is the same.

Peruvian children go to school...just like we do in the States.

Men (and women) here work to earn a living for their families, as we do.

And children the world over can not resist writing their name in wet cement. (Go Anabel!)

If you've lasted with me these last few days, thank you. It's impossible to experience what I'm feeling and not share it with others.

Back tomorrow,
Asiyah

Day 3 in Peru: Worship Trujillo-style

2011-07-17T17:44:00.010-05:00

This morning I awoke to the sounds of Latin music and cheerful voices from the street below. I was able to get hours of restful sleep last night so the music was a nice change to my normal "alarm clock".

Trujillo gets very little rain each year so it is considered a desert. Imagine my surprise to discover that it had rained last night. Rain was the first of many blessings today.

We walked a few blocks to the church, Cristo Rey (Christ the King), for worship. Cristo Rey is the sister church to my church, Christ Covenant, and we've come to Trujillo for the purpose of encouraging our Peruvian brothers and sisters.

Sure - we could have Skyped or sent an email of support, but there is something tangible about an in-person visit to say, "I'm here for you."

The pastors met us at the door and we made the rounds greeting everyone with a kiss on the cheek. The songs we sang all came from Psalms and the sermon was delivered in Spanish and English. It's amazing that I understood much of what he said in Spanish...immersion language training really does work.

Afterwards we had lunch at Pastor Wes' house. We sang more songs (this time in English) and enjoyed a wonderful pasta dish. Have you ever noticed that fellowship is served best over a meal?

Later we returned to the home of our cell group. If you recall, yesterday I shared that we hung signs in the parks and handed out bubbles and invitations to visit the district cell group.

Wouldn't you know that one of the families we invited came by? I admit that I thought (from my own experience) that the chances of someone actually attending a Bible study/cell group were slim to none.

That just goes to show that God blesses us despite our doubts.

Abba Father help my unbelief,
Asiyah

Day 2 in Peru: Not in Kansas Anymore

2011-07-16T19:02:00.013-05:00

Lima to Trujillo

If you've never had the pleasure of flying LANPeru Airlines, then you don't know what you're missing.

It's like I went back in time to the flying days of yore: on-time departure and arrival, comfortable seats, great service from the flight team and l.e.g.r.o.o.m!

If I lived in South America, I'd probably book a LANPeru flight just for daily errands. It's that good folks!

The Lord blessed my travels and I arrived to Trujillo with no problems. One of the missionary guys picked me up from the airport and it was sure good to see a familiar face. It also helped that Wes is a tall white guy from Texas, so he was easy to find.

Any drive you take in Trujillo comes with tremendous peril. There are few stoplights, no stop signs and the lane striping is a mere suggestion. On more than one occasion, I thought we were going to kill or be killed by a taxi/motorcycle/1970s VW Bug. (Josh: There are a lot of VW Bugs here.)

When we made it to the hotel, I was very surprised. It is extremely modern compared to the rest of the town. As an added blessing, it even has free Wi Fi.

But the view from the room was a sobering reminder of how poor the neighborhood is.

After my initial rendezvous with the home team, we met with the mission team coordinator, Alleen. She is a former attorney from the U.S. who gave up law practice for mission work. She is so good at making all the logistics make sense to us newbies.

Later we met up with the local team, hung hand-painted signs in a few of the area parks, prayed for the community and distributed flyers and bottles of bubbles to the children.

In one of the parks, we set up a volleyball net and played several rounds with the district kids. Since volleyball is not the sport of choice, it made for some great interaction with the Peruvians.

It just goes to show that being on mission for Christ doesn't mean you have to whip folks over the head with Bible verses. The majority of my team doesn't even speak Spanish.

The point is, you don't have to say a word to show love and care for others.

The day ended with both teams sharing a meal of pollo a la gallega. It was delicious! The local team performed a beautiful dance that represented dos caballos (two horses) dancing together.

We, on the other hand, did the electric slide. Sorry folks...that's all this mission group's got.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Asiyah

Day 1 in Peru: Lima Airport

2011-07-16T04:33:00.005-05:00

After a more than 14 hour trip (series of connections), I'm finally in Peru. I spent the night in Lima but didn't sleep more than an hour at a time: mostly cat naps.

I was surprised how LOUD the airport was. Much more than I've found at US airports...or maybe that's just my skewed perspective.

I didn't realize how much I would miss my bed until I bedded down on the floor of the airport. I lasted a few hours until my wallmate with the speedy text fingers woke me up. The walls were lined with people, each in his/her own dream world.

Who knows what dreams will be realized for me during this mission trip.

One more flight to go and I'll finally be in Trujillo.

Asiyah

One of these things is not like the other

2011-07-12T12:40:00.006-05:00

You know how we quilters sometimes get in a rush to finish a quilt top? Well I had a quilty faux pas happen to me.

Usually, before I sew the top together, I put all the blocks on my design wall to see if anything sticks out. (Step #1)

If that looks okay, I take a picture and look at it on my computer. (Step #2)

I'm not sure why, but that little trick has caught a lot of mistakes for me.

Well anyway, I skipped Step #2 this time...oh, for goodness sake!

Do you see the mistake?
How about now?

Yes, that little corner block certainly does not belong. The grayish blue is way too dark. How did I not see that?

Thankfully, it's in a corner so it won't be that big of a big deal to un-sew it. But I'll deal with that later...

I'm headed to Peru this Friday and will be posting non-quilty stuff until I return state-side.

Meantime, I'll leave you with this remnant of my childhood (hence, the title of this post.)

Later peeps!

The barter quilt

2011-07-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

This simple quilt represents the first of many for me:

I quilted with my feed dogs up!
I used a flannel print instead of cotton fabric for the backing.
I quilted with a regular ol' 80/12 needle instead of a quilting needle.
I used printed blocks in a quilt.
I bartered this quilt for two homemade (with real butter!) cakes.

I find it amazing that I can still learn things after 6 years of quilting.

I bought this Baby Sign Language fabric the first year I started quilting. The fabric was meant to be used in a soft baby book but I thought it might make a cute quilt.

Fast forward a half of a decade later and it definitely came in handy.

To put the quilt in perspective: I needed to make desserts for a church function but didn't really have the time to do it. So I asked a co-worker to make the desserts instead since that's her bag.

When she said that she needed a quilt for a baby gift and I was like "oh yeah!" Mind you, I'd never bartered before...

When I found the flannel fabric with hand prints, I knew it was perfect for the sign language motif. It wasn't until I pulled out the blocks to make the quilt top that I remembered I taught my little ones sign language too!

Since I had extra blocks, I used them to make a pillow. I just love the tie in between the pillow and sign language for "sleep".
This is a super comfy quilt. It measures 41" x 52"...great for a newborn or a toddler.

All of a sudden, I feel like I want another wee one. Hmm....I wonder why?

Cottontails revisited

2011-07-01T10:32:00.005-05:00

Remember this cute little number I named Cottontails? I made it several months ago but got stuck trying to figure out how to quilt it.

Finally, I just opted for an all over stippling. It was easier than letting Cottontails just sit in the closet.

Because a few of my quilt commissioned customers have hounded me relentlessly about opening an Etsy shop, I went ahead and took the plunge. I'm not sure if it will be worth the effort but I'll try most things at least once.

Don't worry...I won't try to ply my quilts on you dear reader. I'm sure you have enough of your own!

Anyway, I hand-stitched the binding and think the brown and cream plaid fabric sets off the quilt perfectly.

Have a wonderful 4th of July folks.

Inspiration

2011-06-19T12:11:00.000-05:00

These pictures inspire me to be a better quilter...

A quilt owned by author, Shelby Foote

This one reminds me of fireworks
(source: unknown)

So simple but so graphically stunning
(source: unknown)

I must make a black quilt soon
(source: unknown)

P.S. I just noticed they are all made from solids.

Prim and proper dress

2011-06-15T13:48:00.002-05:00

I made a dress for Liv using pink and white gingham. It has a bit of hot pink piping and some embroidered flowers on the peter pan collar.

Speaking of the collar, that was the trickiest thing I've made in a while. It took a couple of drafts before I was satisfied with it.

I don't know what it is about gingham that I love so much. It's kind of a chameleon fabric: perfect for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Lately, my preference is to make Liv's clothes instead of buying them. It just seems that some of the clothing isn't of very good quality and/or it's overpriced.

Also, I don't care to dress my 3 1/2 year old in clothes made of slinky fabric or showing too much skin or featuring questionable phrases.

The battle over those clothes can wait until...forever.

For now, I'm content to encourage my girly-girl to be feminine, modest and to wear all the pink she wants.

A letter to my son

2011-06-11T09:40:00.011-05:00

Elliot,

Today is your 6th birthday. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed.

I remember how hard your first days were. Daddy and I were really worried about you. Tubes and medicines and the NICU routines...it was all very scary stuff.

But, by the grace of God, you did well. You gained weight and exceeded their expectations on when you could be released from the hospital.

At your first NICU reunion, you met the nurse who took care of you. She remembered you immediately. She couldn't believe how healthy you were!

You know what I know about you? You have always had a great sense of humor. Your comedic time is so refreshing...it's no wonder your friends love you. Little one, continue to live your life with laughter...

Look for beauty in the world around you...

Stay engaged and passionate about life...

And never forget that Jesus loves you and so do I.

Thank you for being my favorite little boy.

XOXO,

Mommy

Fun in the sun

2011-06-05T15:00:00.006-05:00

We're back from the beach and it was a much needed vacation. I took a nap every day we were in Florida...and that's saying a lot considering I haven't taken a nap in probably 6 years.

We had lunch in Hattiesburg, MS.
It was stinkin' hot!

The condo where we stayed was decorated so cute. It was on the first floor and had a little yard for the kiddos to play.

The master bedroom had a comfy king-sized bed. Yum!

We were 5 steps west of the pool and 15 steps north of the beach. The location couldn't have been more perfect.

The view from our patio

The weather was beautiful, the water calming and I took along a hand quilting project that needed to be finished. It's still not done but I'm mostly there.

I feel so refreshed...it's good to be home!

Gone on vacation

2011-05-28T07:01:00.006-05:00

We're headed to the sunny beaches of Perdido Key!

See you in a week!

Our God is an awesome God

2011-05-25T20:44:00.009-05:00

We interrupt this blog to bring you pictures of a terrible storm brewing.

Having grown up in the South, I am used to hunkering down for tornadoes. It wasn't until 2008 when I and the kids survived one hitting our neighborhood, that I appreciated the terrible and awesome power of God.

Let me tell you...nothing can prepare you for that sickening whoosh sound/head pressure changing/darkness-filled fear of a tornado.

Because the sky had that "tornado yellow" color I know so well, I prepared our storm shelter and we all took cover.

Minutes later the news announced a tornado warning for our county. Thank God for His mercy in sparing us this time.

My prayers go out to the people of Tuscaloosa, AL, Joplin, MO and any others affected by the tornadoes.

It definitely makes you appreciate blue skies...

The milk maiden and Dapper Dan

2011-05-19T12:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was in a sewing mood and wasn't feeling compelled to quilt the two quilts that await me. So I decided to make a skirt for Liv using a double layer skirt tutorial.

I've renamed it the milk maiden skirt.

The skirt came together so easily that I wanted to make another one. (I didn't.) The cool thing is that I only used stash fabrics for this baby, which is great for our budget.

And because I'm a mom of two...here's a picture of my Dapper Dan. Awww...ain't life grand?

Later peeps!

Fox and Geese

2011-05-15T12:00:00.002-05:00

I love this quilt! It looks exactly how I thought it would.

Hi peeps!

I'm back with the second block of my Hopscotch quilt. The block is called Fox and Geese.

I don't know why they even bothered to add "fox" to the title since this block consists of mostly geese.

You know how a block is a good idea in theory only? This one fits the bill. Somewhere around geese number 64, I asked myself, "What was I thinking? This is a lot of piecing for one block!"

Of course, I made some mistakes along the way; which is why I always take a picture of the quilt blocks before I sew them together. Something gets lost in translation when you look at a quilt you've been working on.

And the camera is perfect for catching piecing errors.

So there you have it folks: Hopscotch. I'll add borders and decide on hand quilting designs later since I'll be taking this one to the beach.

Funny story: I originally planned to sell this in my new Etsy shop (which by the way has nothing in it!). Can I just say I'll be hanging on to this baby now?

=)

Prototype no more

2011-05-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of the Grandmother's Cross block? Somehow I came across this while looking for inspiration from antique quilts.

So I drafted a prototype and made it. It came out too small.

That's quilt math for ya...

I re-calculated my measurements, figured out my error and proceeded to make 8 more in my favorite Kona solids.

Sorry for the blurriness... I was in the closet taking this pic.

The quilt top is half-way done. Yay! The other block will be revealed next week.

BTW, this quilt is called Hopscotch.

Happy Mother's Day!

Note to self

2011-05-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

If you start a quilt pattern, don't finish it 3 years later.

I bought the Southern Stars pattern from Connecting Threads in 2008. It was supposed to be a block-a-month project so I could finish it in a year. Right? Wrong!

If I've learned anything about my quilt preferences, it's that I don't like large projects. The pay off is too prolonged for me. I end up thinking of all the other stuff I could finish faster. Guess I have a short attention span...

So I finished the darn thing and will ship it to The Back Porch Quilters to pretty it up.

Ahh...glad to get that albatross off my neck...

Later folks!

For the babe

2011-04-27T15:14:00.005-05:00

If I haven't shared it before, I love making gifts for babies. Quilts (of course!), appliqued tees, bibs, etc. One item I hadn't tried before are baby booties. They are so tiny that I was always afraid the work would be worth it.

Boy was I wrong.
I used a tutorial from Joanna of Stardust Shoes and churned them out in no time. The only drawback is that the inside of the shoe has exposed seams.

Next time I make booties, I'll figure out how to enclose the seams so they are neater. (Wouldn't want a thread to wrap around a baby toe...)

The bib is just something I made on the fly. I don't have a template for it; just eyeball it and sew on bias tape for the neckline.

But I think my favorite of these is the "Laugh Out Loud" onesie. The O is an appliqued yo yo. I love the texture it gives and it was a big hit at the baby shower. Some of the ladies thought "LOL" stood for lots of love...awww, that's cute and it fits too!

Who was I to correct them? LOL!

Two good finishes and a new beginning

2011-04-23T14:22:00.001-05:00

The Lenten season has come and gone very quickly. It was a great time to refocus and distill matters down to the most basic of questions: "Is this honest?"

As that question relates to this blog and my craft, I asked myself, "Does this blog truly reflect me? Is this my quilt or a riff on someone else's quilt?"

The answer was mostly 'yes' but there were quite a few 'no's' too.

But I'm back and glad to be. I appreciate that I have this online journal to create, share and reflect. I am especially thankful to a blog friend who sent me kind words of encouragement when I needed them most. (You know who you are...)

And just so this isn't a picture-less post, here are the last two quilts that I finished during my blog absence.

Urban Circus quilt for Ethan

Quilted in variegated thread

An appliqued onesie

I renamed this one Stars and Stripes

Isn't the quilting exquisite?
I have Backporch Quilters to thank for this!

Have a joyous Easter!

What's it all for?

2011-03-08T22:05:00.001-06:00

I've come to the realization that I have frittered away a good bit of time on this little blog-o-mine.

Somewhere from the beginning to now, I felt like I needed to compete with others instead of challenge myself in my own way.

Or that I had to do giveaways to boost my follower numbers. (Down from a whopping 5 followers. LOL!)

Or that "no comments" on a particular post meant it/I was a failure.

Criminy. When did I become a teenager again?

I have been increasingly restless (dare I say dishonest?) in the expression of many aspects of my life.

Quilting. Sewing. Work. even this blog.

So during this season of Lent I will be reflecting on those things that matter most.

My faith and trust in God through Jesus.
My husband and the wee ones.
The mission trip to Peru that I still can't believe I'm doing.
The wonderful friendships I've made.
My passion for needle/fabric arts.

Lofty goals for sure.

And yet, somehow this blog didn't make the cut.

Will I be back? I'm really not sure. But I do know I won't return to the 37-year-old-teen aged-version of "My Point Oh Two".

So....we'll see.

In the meantime, be blessed and stay true to your craft.

Viva la pez! (aka the fishy dress)

2011-03-06T12:59:00.006-06:00

Do you remember the subtitle to Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove? It was "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".

Well that subtitle kept scrolling through my mind the 7 hours I spent making Liv's fishy dress...only it was "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pattern".

One thing I've discovered about myself is I cannot stand sewing by pattern.

No, really...'hate' is not too strong a word here.

For one thing there's all these weird terms for your garden variety stitch:

stay-stitch
edge-stitch
under-stitch
slip-stitch
top-stitch

Then there are the diagrams which make no sense and directions that make even less sense.

Never mind that I stared at the yoke sewing directions for 45 minutes before working up the nerve to sew it in. (I still sewed it in wrong!)

But in the end...it was all worth it. I ripped out the yoke and retro fit it back into the dress. Liv is happy and so am I.

If you are brave enough to try it, the pattern is Simplicity 2320.

Honestly, I'll be sewing it again...with a glass of wine in one hand and seam ripper at the ready.

Urban Circus quilt

2011-03-03T17:40:00.003-06:00

I've been working on another commissioned quilt but haven't finished the top. This quilt is for a soon to be born little boy...as yet unnamed.

There must be a law of quilting that says the fabric you're using must run out at the exact point in time in which you need it. So I need to make a run to the fabric store for the Kona Espresso in this quilt.

A couple more borders and I'll be done.

I think I'll do a diamond grid for the quilting. Then again, maybe something more organic is in order?

At any rate, I love making baby quilts on commission. Especially, quilts for boys...they are so much fun!

Beach bum...er, I mean bag.

2011-02-19T20:38:00.005-06:00

I booked our vacation to a key in the Florida panhandle last week. With the prospect of a week-long sabbatical at the beach house and the 70 degree temperatures we've been having, I got da fever....bad.

I used the messenger bag pattern from Sew What! Bags to make this beach tote. It's just what the doctor ordered for my ever increasing spring fever. (Side bar: I just noticed that "ever" and "fever" have the same letters but don't rhyme...go figure!)

The tote is deep enough for two twin-sized packages of batting so the size is perfect for stowing beach towels. I also included just enough pockets that the bag is useful but not so many that I qualify for an episode of Hoarders.

Man, I cannot wait for May 28th...

Have a wonderful week!

Who says...

2011-02-14T06:00:00.002-06:00

...that red is the color of love?

I think blue is perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Time for ties!

2011-02-13T07:27:00.004-06:00

It's been a long time since we've had so much snow in North Mississippi. Amazingly, the temperature dropped from the teens on Thursday to 60 degrees yesterday.

Of course I started dreaming of spring...Easter...little boys in suits and ties.

I did a quick search for tutorials and happened upon a great pattern by The Purl Bee. I dug around in my stash and found two classic fabrics perfect for neckties.

A bit of forewarning: you have to cut the pattern on the bias so you will have quite a bit of fabric leftover, but the payoff is worth it.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Folklore quilt

2011-02-10T15:41:00.005-06:00

When I made this quilt I had no idea how to quilt it. It is a quilt for everyday use...utilitarian, if you will.

Since we are people who love to picnic, I wanted a quilt that was specific for our use -- Decidedly, there were a few ground rules to adhere to:

It could have no white fabrics.
We needed a "bright" quilt that we could spot quickly from a distance.
It needed to be original.
I didn't want to spend hours quilting something that will end up on the ground.

So the Folklore quilt is our family picnic quilt.

I am eternally grateful for The Back Porch Quilters quilting this for me. If you haven't checked out Russ and Rhonda's work, you are truly missing something. I HIGHLY recommend their work.

Here's some parting pictures of Folklore. I can't wait to use her.

Front of quilt with variegated thread

Back of quilt (variegated thread on solid black backing)
Love it!!!!

Here is the binding: a dotty fabric that perfectly matches Folklore.

Later folks!

Being Prolific

2011-02-04T18:56:00.008-06:00

I woke up about 3:00 one morning with this design in my head. I knew I wanted a textural feel to the mini quilt and this one does not disappoint.

I made a loooooong ruffle with pink and white plaid fabric, shaped it into a heart and hand-stitched it to a white background. Little pink one inch squares surround the heart.

Dear young hubby suggested I embroider "I" and "you"...he was spot on.

Since I've got my quilt mojo back I have been doing little charity works here and there. These two bags are headed to El Salvador.

The butterfly bag is a messenger bag with lots of artist wares (color pencils, stencils, drawing pad) inside.

The coloring tote is adorable. I got a ton of requests to make them for this child or that kid, but I politely declined. My heart is full with quilting.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Nocturnal Geese

2011-02-02T18:48:00.004-06:00

I've ordered from Connecting Threads a few times in the past. The fabric quality and selection is decent but I love the Essential Threads they sell. You absolutely cannot beat their price and I like that the fabric is made in America.

So I decided to enter a design for CT's kit builder contest. I've named it Nocturnal Geese for obvious reasons.

Go check it out here!

Americana stars

2011-01-30T10:42:00.004-06:00

With the help of a virtual quilting bee, I made this Americana Stars quilt for one of my colleagues who was serving in Iraq. Unfortunately, he got re-deployed before I could finish the quilt and gift it to him.

Fast forward 3 months and now my cousin Cheri is being deployed to Afghanistan on Friday, February 4th. Perhaps this quilt was meant for her anyway, huh? I'm praying for the safe return of her and all our loved ones in the military.

Godspeed Cheri and Sean!

Cottontails and cookie presses too!

2011-01-27T11:03:00.006-06:00

You ever envision a quilt in your head and have it come out perfectly? Well, that happened to me with a baby quilt I've named "Cottontails".

I had been meaning to buy the pink and brown fabrics in the Lily & Will collection but never got around to it. I ran across the line again in December and it was on sale for 30% off. Score!

Cottontails came together really quickly...I finished the top in about a week (I work full-time).

I am still debating whether to quilt it myself or send it off for finishing.

...in other quilty news...check out what I found while antiquing! They are cookie presses with quilt block designs.

Don'tcha love it?!?

Later folks!

Folk Town

2011-01-18T19:47:00.003-06:00

I like collections of things...quilts, books, colored pencils and the like. This little "Folk Town" quilt is one of series of wall hangings that I shall call "Games People Play".

As I shared before, Folk Town doubles as a checkboard game. Since we are a family of boardgame enthusiasts, this baby will get some serious play. (Cheesy pun intended!)

I'm thinking of hand quilting it for a folksy look. Then again...machine quilting it would be faster.

Decisions, decisions...

Paper piecing is fun!

2011-01-16T15:58:00.003-06:00

I'm about 95% done piecing the top to my little folk town quilt. I have one more block to complete and it will be done. I'm leaning toward a red schoolhouse but may put another tree in the mix.

I love details like stained glass windows in the church and smoke wafting out of the log cabin's chimney.

I'll use the green dotty fabric for the backing but I'm still on the fence about the binding fabric.

Check out my German sheep grazing near the checkerboard. LOL!

I considered hand quilting it but the thought of all those paper piecing seams are daunting. Perhaps I'll toss a coin to help me decide.

Later folks!

What I've Been Doing...

2011-01-09T15:29:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year folks!

I've thoroughly enjoyed spending time with dear young hubby and the wee ones, but it's time to get back to work!

Here is a sneak peak at my latest project. I have been in the mood to paper piece and decided to do it for an (as yet) unnamed wall hanging.

The quilt will feature a folk life border as I've been dying to make a saltbox house. I've already completed the 6" house and church blocks. Can you tell I tried to mimic stained glass windows in the church?

It's slow going but I'm really excited about it. The best thing is that it's a dual purpose quilt: wall hanging and checkboard game!

Most likely I will also include a little red schoolhouse and some weeping willow trees in the border.

What other blocks would you suggest?

Thanks for stopping by!

2010: A Year in Review

2010-12-23T12:17:00.007-06:00

Well folks,

We've been together another year and now is a good time to reflect on 2010. Some of my more notable quilty projects are shown in this picture:

The most important thing that I've learned is that I don't really have a "style", per se.

I like the use of white and solids because I can't rely on the print to carry the project, ya know? But other than that it's anybody's guess what my next creation will be.

It was an interesting year in that I realized that I am a quilter and not just someone who quilts. I see inspiration in the most mundane things...and that's a pretty cool thing.

Which brings me to a favorite quote by Abraham Lincoln...

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

Be safe. Enjoy your holiday season. And if the Lord allows, I'll see you next year!

Asiyah

Words create worlds.

2010-12-21T20:29:00.006-06:00

Since the girls share a journal, I opted to gift them with reusable journal covers. If you've followed my blog any length of time you know that I like to include story lines and plots in my quilt projects. (Work with me folks...this is going somewhere!)

Ever since I can remember I've been familiar with the quote: "words create worlds". (Recently I re-read a journal I kept when my husband and I were adjusting to the challenges of being new parents. It was amazing how wrong I was back then, lol!)

Since the journal will be a compilation of Mel's words, I figured that she is making her own world. So I made a journal cover with a pale blue background and festive pennant flags on the front. The only hint to the "world" inside is the turquoise blue fish button I used.

In Melodie's world, red-haired mermaids hula hoop around fishes and octopi join in the fun at will.

I made a reversible bookmark with the quote on one side and an octopus on the other. Along for the ride are personalized pencils and Buchanan & Peskowitz's Daring Book for Girls.

To my dearest Melodie...

Be bold. Be courageous. Be daring. And above all create your own world.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Read. Write.

2010-12-18T15:31:00.008-06:00

Dear young hubby and I sponsor two sibling girls who live in a local group home. What this means is that we act as parental figures in their lives since circumstances have separated them from their birth parents.

Miya and Melodie are such a joy to us. So much so that DYH and I want to adopt them. We'll see what happens...(fingers crossed)

In the meantime, I finished Miya's Christmas present. Since my sweet girl wears glasses (like me) I made her an eyeglass case using my own pattern. (Well, it's not really a pattern...more like, "this'll do!")

The girls currently share a journal so I decided to make them each their own journal using a tutorial from V and Co. I also ordered personalized pencils with their names from Lillian Vernon.

Stay tuned for pictures of Melodie's journal...

Gifts for the maestras

2010-12-11T14:40:00.007-06:00

School will soon be out for the Christmas season so I spent some time this week making gifts for Elliot's teachers.

For Ms. Elaine, the teacher's assistant: a reversible mug rug with coordinating mug. I'll include some peppermint tea and jar of local honey.

For Ms. Jonnie, Elliot's teacher, I included a number of things:

A half-square triangle mug rug

A coordinating journal cover complete with a mother-of-pearl snap

And personalized pencils imprinted with "Please return to Ms. Jonnie"

If you want to make your own version of the journal cover, visit Sew Mama Sew and look for Jennifer Casa's tutorial on Back to School notebooks.

Hopefully, these will be a hit with the teachers.

Later folks!

Whew!

2010-12-05T22:25:00.004-06:00

Amelia's quilt is done but boy was it a close one!

All told I had probably 2 inches of hot pink thread left after I machine stitched the binding. For commissioned quilts that will be laundered a lot (i.e. baby and toddler quilts), machine-attached binding is my standard method of finishing.

Why does the wind always blow when you're trying to photograph a quilt?

It's hard to see it in the picture but I free-motioned the following in the top and right borders:

"May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
and find your shoulder to light upon."

I finished out the borders with free-motion butterflies.

And since my Liv is a pink and purple type of gal, here's a shameless photo of her coveting Amelia's quilt.
I've got something else in store for you dear one....

Later folks!

Have you ever...

2010-11-28T13:44:00.003-06:00

...made a quilt for a stuffed animal?

Well, I did...just last night to give myself a break from Amelia's quilt.

Elliot had to take care of Kinderbear over Thanksgiving break so I decided to make a bear's paw quilt for him/her. No word yet on whether Kin likes the quilt...he/she is out visiting with friends from our church this afternoon. (lol!)

And lest you think I've been slacking...I finished the majority of quilting for Amelia's quilt. All that is left are the borders.

I think I'll do a free motion butterfly motif. We'll see how it goes.

Enjoy your week, folks!

Land O' Plenty

2010-11-25T06:40:00.005-06:00

Thank you dear Lord for choices and choices and more choices...in a land o' plenty.

Happy Thanksgiving Day, folks!

Ding!

2010-11-20T18:29:00.005-06:00

...Amelia's quilt top is done!

I'll start quilting it in purple variegated thread this week.

Stay tuned...

Purple possibilities

2010-11-10T05:18:00.003-06:00

I've been commissioned to do another toddler quilt. I have a general idea about the design but am still fleshing out the details.

My client had some pretty specific colors and themes in mind: purple, pink, butterflies and dragon flies. Having never worked with purple before...this will be fun!

Halloween

2010-11-04T20:00:00.004-05:00

I'm a bit late in sharing these but wanted to get them up for posterity's sake.

The kids had a great time trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood is too new for neighbors so we met up with Liv's gal pal, Brenna, for Halloween. We spent the afternoon kicking around the soccer ball and nibbling on snacks before heading out at dark.

Elliot is Iron Man, although none of us have seen the movie. (What is Iron Man's power, anyway?)

Liv is Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story. We've seen Toy Story 1 & 2 so many times this year, someone was bound to be a TS character.

We also started building a gingerbread haunted house but never got done with it. I guess it's okay as long as we finish it before Christmas...right?

Later peeps!

Pigskins and argyle too

2010-10-25T19:58:00.006-05:00

Start of meander quilting

One of my favorite things about autumn (besides the changing colors and cool weather) is football. Although I would never in a thousand years agree to Elliot playing the sport, I still enjoy the game.

When one of my former college interns asked me to make her a quilt in University of Florida colors, I could not resist. I've seen quilt a few argyle-type quilts patterns and decided to use one featuring solids. I am thrilled with the results.

By my count that leaves only 1 more quilt 'til my Solid 6 challenge is complete.

The quilt is lap sized and perfect for taking to a tail gate party. I appliqued some fussy cut symbols from some UF fabric I bought.

But you know what I love most about this quilt? The gator skin quilt texture I added to the appliqued feet.

Now that was fun...

Thanks for stopping by!

Joshua's quilt

2010-09-19T20:20:00.008-05:00

Hi peeps,

My hip is healing nicely and other than some errant pains here and there, I'm doing fine. I am out of the wheelchair and on crutches mostly. It should be just a couple of weeks before I'll be 100%. Thanks for the well wishes..I really appreciate it.

In the meantime, I am sharing a commissioned quilt that I finished up (with the help of dear young hubby). I just did some sporadic straight line quilting to keep it comfy. I'll deliver it tomorrow and hope the recipient likes it.

This is the first quilt I've ever sold...lol. I could get into this.

Enjoy!

We interrupt this blog to bring you...

2010-09-11T10:44:00.004-05:00

...a broken hip. That's right folks. Somehow I inexplicably have a stress fracture in my right hip.

The right hip: which is attached to my driving leg and my sewing foot.

Not sure how much blog posting I'll be doing but I am on the mend. Right now I am working on a couple of quilts (albeit slowly) and I am quilting my scrappy star quilt by hand.

Ah well, that's life isn't it?

Wish me a speedy recovery, won't ya?

Thanks for stopping by,
Asiyah

Quilt of Valor

2010-08-24T19:16:00.005-05:00

Hey folks,

I participate in a really cool swap group on Flickr called "The Block Swap". As our time as a group is coming to an end, I thought I'd share some of the contributions for my month.

1. QOV - Shooting Star, 2. QOV - Firework star, 3. QOV - Americana star, 4. The block swap, 5. the block swap- august

Granted, my month isn't over yet so I still have some quilt blocks due to be returned to me...but I'm super excited about this project for one reason: I am giving it to a colleague who is currently serving in Iraq.

Shaun has a wife and two daughters waiting for him to return home safely. They are the type of people you would love to have as your neighbors.

So... I figure that the least I can do is say "thank you" for the sacrifice and dedication they have shown to my country.

Thanks for letting me get that out. I can't wait to get all the quilt blocks together.

Asiyah

What's Happening Cap'n?

2010-08-12T18:42:00.007-05:00

Hey peeps! Long time no blog to...

I have been crazy busy with family and work and quilty things, but thought I'd pop in to share what I've been working on.

It's near bedtime for the wee ones so words will be kept to a minimum, lol.

Enjoy!

Scrappy Stars wall hanging (quilt kit)

Close up of stars and scrappy pinwheels

"Folklore" quilt (my design)
How to quilt it???

Neapolitan baby quilt
quickie from Moda Bake Shop

Close up of Neapolitan quilt

Thanks for stopping by!

Amish themed books

2010-07-23T19:18:00.004-05:00

For a while there, I read tons of Amish-themed fiction. Something about the uncomplicated pace of their lifestyle appealed to me. So I read.

I read and I read and I read until I realized, "I know what going to happen next!" The plot in a certain author's books always had the same event - in every single book.

So I shared this little tidbit over dinner with friends.

Me: "And then I realize that somebody's buggy always ended up in a ditch. Darn Englishers!"

Leave it to dear young hubby to reenact the scene.

"Tragically, on their way back to the farm after their wedding, Abraham and Abigail

crossed paths with a carload of English teenagers who were out for a joyride." (DYH)

Gah, I love that man.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2010-07-18T19:24:00.009-05:00

...this is the part of the year that I'll affectionately refer to as "Mama done went crazy".

I'm not sure who thought up math but 1 kid + 1 kid does not equal twice as much work.

Add to this that I've had the attention span of a gnat when it comes to quilting and we're in the middle of painting so the house is a total wreck.

But wait! There's more!

I have a darn pooch parade following me everywhere I go. If another dog steps on the back of my heel, I am going to go "dog pound" on some canines I know.

Okay...just had to get that out.

(sigh)

Let's end our time together on a quilty note, shall we?

Below is a flying geese block that I did for a quilting bee. Never mind that I ran out of her background fabric so it's a half inch too short; I think it's cute though.

Here's to better days ahead folks.

Citrus Carolina - part deux

2010-07-04T07:50:00.006-05:00

Hello folks and Happy 4th of July!

Before I reveal the finish on Citrus Carolina, I want to share a picture of the stained glass window that we bought from a local antiques shop.

It was an absolute bargain because the dealer received it as payment for a gambling debt. (Unfortunately, someone's misfortune was our gain but it makes for an interesting story.)

So dear young hubby, had a glass contractor set the window in a door and install tempered glass over it. We (meaning DYH) stained it a walnut color and it looks fabulous! I think it makes our home look inviting, don't you?

Now on to quilty things: Citrus Carolina. As you know I spent the better part of a week ripping out machine quilting. I am happy to say that she's finally finished. The hand quilting really lends an organic feel to the quilt.

I was going for a sashiko feel with the quilting. Because hand quilting thread is sold in boring colors, I used hot pink and turqouise embroidery floss for most of the quilting.

Citrus Carolina looks right at home in Liv's room. I love it when a quilt design comes together!

Enjoy your holiday and thanks for stopping by!

Meeting the challenge

2010-06-28T19:33:00.012-05:00

For her 50th blog post Jandi posted a challenge of sorts: for us to share a picture of our creative space.

Never one to back away from a challenge, here's my studio.

Funny thing is I cleaned my studio earlier last week; so don't be fooled into thinking it's always this clean!

Thanks for stopping by!

One Down. Three to Go.

2010-06-26T15:44:00.004-05:00

Funny story: I had Citrus Carolina about 75% machine quilted until I saw Denise's hand quilting.

Insert ominous music and a seam ripper here: "Oh no, she's ~~lost~~ changing her mind! Somebody, stop her!"

I spent four evenings ripping out the stitches and another night with a spray bottle of water and toothbrush to minimize the holes.

What took 45 minutes to stitch took about three days to remove. Doesn't seem fair, does it?

At least not until you realize you made the right decision in starting all over again. My hand quilting isn't perfect but trust me when I say this is so much better than what I'd done.

One block down...three to go.

P.S. This is my first time quilting by hand. I may have added a little something to my quilt repertoire!

Later folks.

Citrus Carolina

2010-06-21T08:00:00.003-05:00

I toyed with the idea of naming this mini quilt "Carolina Cha, Cha, Cha" but decided against it. Too many C's, really.

So I've settled on the name "Citrus Carolina" since it has some truly tangy colors in it: lime green, hot pink, bright orange and turquoise.

I found a simple pieced block pattern on McCall's quilting website and knew I'd discovered the perfect block for a wall hanging in Olivia's room. The block is named Lily on McCall's site but I've also seen it referenced as Carolina Lily.

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that I have been incorporating more solids into my quilt repertoire. Not only is it easier on the purse, but it challenges me to think beyond fabric prints.

So I am officially sharing my Solid Six plan with you, dear reader. Here are the rules:

Create six (6) original quilt tops using only solid fabrics.
The quilts can be any size (mini to king-sized).
Fabric prints may be used for the binding, but nowhere else in the quilt.

I have already shared two solid quilt tops for this endeavor: Midnight with the Birches and Citrus Carolina.
Now, I just need to come up with 4 more quilts. Guess it's time to sit in my thinking chair.

Stay tuned!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T13:11:00.004-05:00

A father is always making his baby into a little woman.
And when she is a woman he turns her back again.
~ Enid Bagnold

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person,
he believed in me. ~ Jim Valvano

Happy Father's Day, honey!
Our kids couldn't ask for a better dad.

What the???

2010-06-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Whilst perusing the latest Hancock's of Paducah catalog (volume 52), I came across a rather odd fabric.

It's an Alexander Henry line called "All I Want for Christmas". Normally I like AH fabrics...exhibit (A) features some of my faves:

But for some reason, this particular fabric churns my stomach.

Is it the exposed Christmas red crotch? Ummm, nope...don't mind that too much.

Perhaps, it's the perfect pearly whites on this chap? Yep, I drink too much coffee but that's not it either.
What, oh, what could it be, pray tell?

Ah ha! I've spotted the culprit. It's that little brown, round nipple on scarf boy.
Hey Alex! What's good for Janet Jackson is good for you, dude. Cover up that manipple.

I'll take my Christmas fabrics without wardrobe malfunction...thank you very much.

Okay, fabric rant over. Carry on folks.

Uncanny

2010-06-13T16:55:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to do a birch tree wall hanging a la Gwen Marston since I found this Melissa Crowe work on her blog, Checkout Girl Crafts.

So I pulled some pictures of birch bark from my own photo stash and set about making a quilt I call "Midnight With the Birches".

After I got the quilt top finished, I decided to Google "quilts birch trees" to see if anyone else had done something similar. Imagine my dismay when I found this and this and ...oh, never mind.

Ugh!

Looks like birch tree quilts are pretty popular. If you find any others out there, don't tell me. I don't wanna know. ;-)

So to all you birch tree quilters...this one's for you.

A Change in Plans

2010-06-08T20:01:00.006-05:00

Well I finished the binding for Roy G. Biv and wouldn't you know Dear Young Hubby really liked the dotty fabric I chose? As did Elliot.

Who knew?

So instead of allocating Roy to the wee ones' playroom, I hung it in El's bedroom. Pretty apropos since DYH spent the entire weekend painting his bedroom Little Boy Blue. (That's not really the name of the paint color, but boys always want their rooms to be blue. Go figure.)

I used a lilac solid that someone from my quilt group gifted to me and stuck to straight line quilting. Good thing I have a walking foot because I zoned out several times while doing those lines.

It's certain. I'm a swoopy doopy sort of quilter. What can I say? I ~~have~~ like curves.

Here's a look at the reverse side. I quilted a couple of exit arrows to illustrate Mr. Green's revolt. By the way, thanks for those kind comments about Roy. It's kind of fun to have a quilt plot going...

Since Elliot is going to kindergarten this year, I'm thinking ahead to a big boy quilt for him. Here are the fabrics I've chosen. They will look great with Little Boy Blue walls.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roy G. Biv

2010-06-01T20:20:00.008-05:00

I woke up Sunday morning with Roy G. Biv on my mind. For weeks I have been mulling over this idea of a modern representation of the color spectrum.

You remember the way we memorized the colors of the rainbow, right?

R - red

O - orange

Y - yellow

G - green

B - blue

I - indigo

V - violet

So I sewed the spectrum but added a little twist. This day...Green (lowly, slightly dull, good ol' standby Green) decided he'd had enough.

No more towing the line.

No more being a sheep.

Say goodbye to Mr. Nice Green.

This guy is exiting stage right, as it were. Once I settle on the fabric color for the binding, I'll finish up Roy. I think red or blue or violet would set this mini quilt off nicely.

But definitely not green. :0)

Breakfast on the Farm

2010-05-31T09:14:00.006-05:00

Since I have the day off for Memorial Day, I took a little more time in preparing breakfast this morning. The kiddos really enjoyed it!

Menu

Scrumptiously scrambled sunshine eggs

Mama's buttermilk biscuits

Homemade pineapple jam

Fresh-picked organic blueberries

Delicious milk from Brown Family Dairy

Today and everyday, remember our fallen heroes and be sure to thank a veteran for their service.

Enjoy your holiday!

Lucky Me, Lucky Who?

2010-05-28T19:39:00.005-05:00

I got this from my MT swap partner and I love it.
Jen has only been quilting for a year.
Unbelieveable!

I finished the Modify Tradition swap quilt and shipped it off to its destination today! My partner has been super quiet so it was a bit unnerving to send it. I mean...I love it, but will he/she?

Ah well, what's done is done. On to the next project(s)...

Speaking of projects...did I ever show you my thinking chairs? Sorry for the Blue's Clues reference. I have babies, you know!

Anywho I like to relax in my studio from time to time and these comfy chairs are good for veggin', listenin' to Pearl Jam and (you guessed it!)...thinkin'.

It is in this space that I've plotted my next project(s). The way I figure it, they will last for the next year. (The projects, not the chairs.)

Stay tuned...

Once More With Feeling...

2010-05-22T12:56:00.005-05:00

I spent my morning finishing up the top for A Star is Born. I couldn't decide about the borders so I finally decided to break up the white with a thin border of green.

Instead of connecting the green border in the corners or using a plain corner square, I made more braids and used those. I kind of like the effect...but now that means, the dotty fabric is out. It will detract from the quilt so the jury is still out on the binding.

And then there's the quilting design ...since this is for a modern swap, I might just use clean gridlines.

What do you think?

A Star is Born

2010-05-19T05:36:00.006-05:00

Just a quick post to share what I'm making for the Modify Tradition swap. The swap challenges you to make traditional quilt blocks in a modern way. The catch...no wonkiness allowed.

I used only scraps in this mini quilt. It is my first time trying french braid and I love the effect. The braid gives the effect of a fifth star in the center...hence the name "A Star is Born".

I am going to use the blue fabric (to the left) as backing. The dotty fabric will be the binding. But I think I'll add a white border with a sliver of red in the middle.

We'll see what the quilt says...

Sharing...

2010-05-17T12:29:00.005-05:00

Happy Monday peeps!

I'm home from work today battling a nasty little head cold. Instead of veggin' out and getting some much needed rest, I decided to sew for two quilting bees that I'm in.

Lael wanted a house/tree block for a baby quilt that she's making. Since baby quilts are my specialty, I happily obliged. I fussy cut the two kiddos on their bikes and hand appliqued them to the block.

For the April bee, Janet requested a brick styled block so I fussy cut the pups and mermaids and balanced them with bricks of red. That sushi print is too cute!

There aren't many colors that I use over and over (other than white). But when Nicole asked us to add orange from our stash to her blocks, I knew exactly which fabrics to use.

The blocks are a wonky log cabin; the one on the left has a bolder, more modern feel so I used a striped fabric to supplement. (In hindsight, I should have cut the stripe on the bias...drat!)

The block on the right inspired me to use an orange 30s print to off-set the brown 30s print Nicole provided. That's what I love about quilting bees...it makes you try things you probably wouldn't do otherwise.

Now...I'm going to do a little bit of this. For some reason, I'm exhausted! (P.S. Don't you love those hand-appliqued yoyos?)

Be well and thanks for stopping by!