mini quilt for May's whiplash

I was so excited to see that mini quilts were the challenge for the May whiplash- a great way to try out a quilt without committing to something I would never finish.

I'm definitely a wing-it sewer, to say the least. I have a degree in furniture design/making & had a studio for a little while, but in the absence of having a place to build, I pulled out an inherited Necchi and the rest, as they say, is history! Regrettably I've yet to take any classes, so I sew the way I approached building furniture.

I saw the challenge on Mother's Day, and The Idea fell out onto paper very quickly (I almost never sketch anything, so this was a novelty!). Long before I was even pregnant, I had always thought I would name my theoretical kiddo Blue, because Blue is everything I would like to give my kiddo- the peace, expanse & freedom of the sea, the sky & space/eternity. My daughter was born last October, and my husband put the kibosh on Blue for a boy or a girl. I couldn't even convince him that Blue was a good middle name.

But I still want to give her these things- thus, a triptych of mini quilts, sea, sky & space/eternity/infinity. I have finished Sea- hooray!- and the other two will actually follow, because I have absolutely loved every bit of making this first one!

The quilt is a wavy-seamed log cabin (hard to tell in the picture, sorry). I used the machine to piece it, but handquilted the rest. In the center patch, the "waves" are also wavy-seamed strips, and I used white thread to piece them with the idea that gently pulling/pressing the seams, the white thread might look like the white spray on the crest of a wave. Not, um, sure that that translated as it just looks like I used white thread...

***I am having a problem with the 3rd quilt & need your help!!!! I can't decide if I should embroider the word space, eternity or infinity... please de-lurk yourself and let me know which you think fits the concept the best!



And this is Miss Lovely, whose name is Kate (admittedly just as lovely a name as Blue), though she did get some seriously Blue eyes...

Thanks for viewing- please don't forget to leave a comment casting your vote for the third quilt!

feeling bookish

I just finished this book- yes, I know, everyone else on the planet has already read it, I know... but I HAVE to throw my 2 cents in- this book was amazing. Like, jump-up-and-down-shouting-woohoo-I-want-all-my-friends-to-read-this-so-we-can-talk-about-it good!

Liz's journey is familiar and exotic and heartbreaking and laugh out loud funny at times. She just blew me away on so many levels; I give her heaps of credit not only for searching as she did, but for being so (apparently) honest about everything (including the unflattering and downright embarrassing).

I devoured this book, and kept thinking "I have to get a pen" while I was reading it, but I never got the pen because I was plowing through to the next paprgraph, pulled forward into her narrative. I will be rereading this book pronto, and will have my pen with me- guaranteed every page will be marked up like a preacher's wife's bible.

And while we are on the subject of books, go check out Julia Rothman's blog Book By Its Cover- it's like passing blissful hours in your favorite bookstore... only better. Joy posted about it, I am officially on inspiration overload, here!

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sugarloop high

I'm all weepy over this mother's day- I just cannot believe that I am Miss Lovely's mother. What an honor! I am so, so blessed... it is simply stunning the way God works, often when you aren't even paying attention...

I received a suprise order this a.m. in my shop (I am always suprised and delighted when anybody purchases something from me- so flattering, I blush every time!), and this sweeet print has been on my mind... so I just had to buy it for Miss Lovely's nursery today. I hope she'll love it when she's grown- a reminder for her that she will always, always be my cherished baby girl.

You should pop over to see Sugarloop's prints- I could eat them with a spoon. Seriously.

Happy mother's day!

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almost forgot!

when we were on our trip home (wisconsin), matt & i happened upon a little estate sale. it was in a tidy little bungalow in a nice little neighborhood. it was a little sad, because it was pretty obvious a nice older lady was no longer, um, living there. i felt kind of creepy going through her things... know what I mean? we were there at the very end on the last of the sale- everything was 50% off. woohoo! so i found 3 treasures-

1. a lovely hemstitched table runner in ivory. cost? bah. $1.50.

2. a lovelier hemstitched set- square table cloth and 4 cocktail napkins. cost? $3.00 (nope, not lying!)

3. the score to end all scores- not 4, not 6, not even 10- no no! 12, yes, count them, 12 hand embroidered cockadoodledoo cocktail napkins! cost, you ask? yes, you are dying to know, i can tell... well, i am so pleased to report... $3.oo for the whole set! i was so excited i was damn near trembling when i paid the weird lady who was running the estate sale.

i had been thinking that i would embroider some lovely things on the plain hemstitched sets and give them as gifts- but seriously, as giving as i ought to be, i cannot force myself to even consider giving them up. such a find- such a score- such great booty! and imagine my suprise when i found the 'pure linen, made in ireland' stamp upon closer inspection of the booty when i got home. yay!

wow- you know you are grown up when you use the term "such great booty" to describe old linens instead of a hottie in 501s at a gig.

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miss lovely would go ape for this!

really- she would go crazy for this mobile! frankly, so would i.

http://www.atypyk.com/home.html

Great site, great products- some are goofy and ridiculous, but super fun- enjoy!

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