Gifts for my SIL and an update on my free motion progress

So much for my well intentioned plans of not letting my blog slide too much.

I did want to share a bit of what I have been working on though!

First, my SIL Rebecca had her birthday recently and my mom and I made her a few things.

I made her these bowls - the pattern is in a book called First Steps to Free Motion Quilting by Christina Cameli:

I also made her a set of pincushions, because, you know, a girl can never have too many:

My mom had quilted these placemats some time ago and I finally got my act together and finished the binding:

By the way, My SIL Rebecca Peacock took the pictures of these. she's so much better at taking pics than I am!!!

And then there are my endless (ok, not endless) samples of practice free motion quilting:

this is not all I have, but it's all I have pictures of at the moment. enjoy! More to come!

Is blogging dead? And...a new quilting project

Ah....it's been a few days! I am determined not to let my blog fall by the wayside...again.

I have been getting a few things done though, so that's feeling pretty good.

After a few posts and comments on facebook, I suppose I have to accept that it's possible that the personal blog is dead. Sigh.

I hope that's not true but I fear it might be. I go to all kinds of blogs when I am searching for information - I love some them! I never really noticed if they were something that was sponsored, or had a lot of followers...I just know that there is a wealth of information out there and my hope is that maybe someday one of my posts will be of use to someone.

At any rate, I find this is a good place to share what I have been working on and thus retain it for my own benefit. I'm not really a journal-keeping type of person, although I have tried in the past.  Just not really my thing...although I love seeing other people's journals!

Anyway...on to what I have been working on...

My mom and I have been working on making little quilted things for MONTHS now. She loves to hand quilt. She has macular degeneration and so we all know that she will not be able to do this forever, but until that day comes, I am making every effort to provide her with little projects to work on. Some months ago we decided we wanted to try making a proper quilt - you know - for a bed or something! Revolutionary!!!

Only one problem....

I had never pieced anything much, and because of my mom's eyesight she wanted to be able to quilt using no hoop or frame of any kind. She's had great success doing this with our small projects. And I can tell you that I wish I had known about spray basting MONTHS ago!!! I just bought some and lo and behold she LIKES it!! woot!

BUT...

There is NO WAY that she is going to be able to quilt a big quilt using no hoop or frame. So...

I put on my Trouble_Shooting Hat (I wear this a lot).

After much thought and research on the internet (for all it's faults, I love the internet!!) we have decided to try doing this quilt in sections. So I will piece, mark and make small quilt sandwiches (probably around 18") and she will quilt them and then I will put them together. I found some terrible quality youtube videos of Georgia Bonesteel's method for doing this and I think that will be the method we go with.  I am going to continue to do research and we are currently working on samples to make sure that she can do that size with no hoop etc. (it's possible we can go bigger, which would be great!) and then we are going to do some samples where I actually try to put them together....

We'll see how it goes.

I spend a lot of my time trying to make my mom's life a little easier and more pleasant by figuring out projects for her to work on. I ALWAYS have to keep in mind her vision issues. I always have to think to myself, 'will she be able to see this? is the fabric too dark/light/patterned? are the marks dark enough? Too dark?' and so on... Macular degeneration is not like being far sighted or near sighted. It's completely different. and hard to understand. I do the best I can, based on her descriptions... It's a tough one and my hope is that someday there will be a cure...

I promise to post pictures as I go - because...who knows who might benefit from my screw-ups?!?!

Now, a picture or two for your enjoyment:

this is a little quilted thing I made for my mom's table - in celebration of us finishing the most TEDIOUS embroidery project EVER. Really!

this was a tablecloth we put together some years ago (yes, years!) and it was so annoying to do, that we kept putting it away and would get it out on occasion and then put it away again.  It was SO GRUBBY from being handled for...I don't even know how long...5 years?

But while I was cleaning my studio she got it out and was determined to finish it. And she did! Well, I did a little bit of work on it, and I certainly helped by threading needle after needle for her, but really it was 90% her! Iput the little binding edge on there after it was done.

I wanted to make a complete vignette - a lovely table setting for her - I had to go several places to find the right flowers and we already had the vase...

but...TADA!!!!

OK - that's enough for now... I should go back and check this for typos but am too excited to share! maybe later!

Lattice Quilt squares

I took a little break from making gelli prints. I had pieced together some lattice quilt squares sometime around Christmas, but didn't have the time to put them together until now.

These are 5" squares. The final project will be something for my mom's table or perhaps the top of her trunk/coffee table. Haven't decided how to quilt it yet but maybe just something simple, as my free motion skills are minimal and slightly rusty.

that last picture is the cute little pile of detritus left after squaring up my blocks. :)

My hope is to get the last two rows pieced in the a.m. and then the rows sewn together. After that I get to try out my spray basting stuff for the first time. We'll see if I like it or not. It will need a border of some kind as well, but I haven't picked the fabric for that yet.... stay tuned!

Rusty Gelli Prints and other projects in the works

Was so pleased with these that I thought I would share. A photographer, I am NOT!. I must scan all these lovelies soon but for now...

Click for bigger pics!

I sort of feel like these would be really nice framed...not that I think they are high art or anything, but I love the layers on them and the colors too. I could do more to them I suppose but I think for now I will leave them be.

So, In addition to gelli prints I am trying to square up some quilt blocks that I made a few months ago. They are smallish so this is taking some time...but I want to try to make a...something for my table - or maybe my mom's table. A runner? topper? something. I don't have tons of blocks, not enough for a lap quilt or anything like that. I actually planned to make her a quilt for Mother's day, but I really don't think that is going to happen. I just don't think I have time. Although...I have a lot of the fabric cut already...so you never know.

The hardest part about having different interests, is trying to divide your time between them. I could stand there and do prints for hours and hours...and I really do love to paint. I love sewing too, but it's not as forgiving a medium. You have to be more precise, more patient. It's good for me to develop those things in myself. And practise. Lots and lots of practise. There seems to me to be a very long learning curve...

Anyway, hopefully back later with perhaps a few pictures of my quilt blocks. It's early and I haven't had nearly enough coffee!

More Gelli Prints!

My new gelli plate has turned out fine. I have made some more prints and thought I would show you some of them.

I have actually considered making them into a book of some sort - maybe folding over the pages and binding it that way. Then I think....what for? I don't really journal and the colors on the prints might not show up any writing I might do. So...I don't know...it's still up in the air. BTW, I have used bristol for the prints - it's pretty heavy so that I suppose will limit their use somewhat. I think they would cool collaged into a painting though...

At this point, I don't really care what they are going to be for - they are just fun to make! And I really like taking colors that don't seem to go together well or that somehow seem...ugly...and seeing what comes it.

I am up a little early today for a change. I am hoping to get a few things done in the studio here - not sure what yet, as I am still shaking off sleep....really need to go to bed earlier...

I was doing a few prints yesterday and my husband came into the room and watched me for a minute and after I pulled a print he looked at it and said, 'well, that's kind of boring!' and I told him that it was boring now but just wait! that was only the first layer!!

I can see why people end up with hundreds and hundreds of these - it's very addicting and so much fun to see what they turn out like. It's like a mystery!

OK - off to work some!