Hookin' a Rug

For a long time I've wanted to crochet a rag rug from fabric strips. It was just an idea in the back of my head, until I read  this tutorial by Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts. It was easy to make and I love how colorful and random it is and how 'homespun' it looks.

I've never used yarn this bulky or a hook this big (size P), so I found it really hard to get my crochet groove on, but I'll get better and quicker with practice. Of course I want to make more!

And man, oh man, does this use up the scraps! All my scrap 'strings' are history, and I had to cut lots more from my stash. This rug is a perfect way to make some of those fabrics you don't like anymore go away--you know, the ones you regret buying, but you paid good money for them, darn it. Yeah, those fabrics. Let's not speak of them, shall we? Let's just cut them up into strips for pretty rugs and pretend that's what we meant to do with them all along ;)

 There are lots of flowers in there, some fish, some Christmas trees, some Spider-Man (don't ask)...

"You made this for me, right?"

During photos, it quickly became the place to be.

It measures 22"x 29", and now lives by the side of the bed. Feels so nice under foot.

Have a good weekend!

Linked up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

Ode to Joy Quilt

When I saw this little cross wall quilt , I wanted to make one, too. It's made with lovely Liberty of London fabrics--so many pretty, delicate florals. But the cost of Liberty fabrics means they, sadly, aren't a part of my stash. *sigh* But that's okay, I have plenty of pretties in my scrap baskets. I used a variety of colors and prints in bright, saturated jewel tones.

The colors just glow in the morning light.

These little blocks are really fun and quick to make. You can find directions for this slice-and-insert technique--and examples from simple to complex--in "Quilting Modern"  (one of my favorite quilting books) by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pederson , but this basic block is simple to figure out by looking at it. Just make sure your background square is ~1/2" larger than you want your final block to be, so you have a little leeway when squaring up your block. I squared my blocks to 5". I definitely see more of these cross blocks in my future :) Likely with colored solids or subtle prints for the background, like this one.

I prefer a wider binding (this one is 1/2" wide), but I didn't want to cover up any more of the outer edge crosses than I had to, so I added a narrow white border. The backing/binding is a Robert Kaufman print called "The Enchanted Desert" that looks like painted tiles. I bought a boatload of it some years ago at a big discount, and I'm so glad I did; I've used it in many projects.

I quilted it with wavy intersecting lines, to soften all the straight lines and angles of the crosses. This is the first quilt I've machine quilted...and I have mixed feelings about that. I love how it turned out! It looks good, the machine quilting went smoothly, it was SO much faster, and my wrist has been hurting lately from quilting and sewing (and gardening, etc.). But it feels stiffer, it doesn't have that wonderful drape and softness from being handled so much during hand-quilting, or that tactile look you can only get from hand stitches. Washing it would make it softer, and it's a wall quilt, so the hand (how fabric feels) doesn't matter as much...but still, I miss the hand-quilted look and texture, and the time spent with it draped over my lap. So, I'm torn.

This little quilt is one of my favorites. It measures 30"x 43", and will hang in the bedroom over the bed. The crosses remind me of colorful birds in flight. What beautiful things to wake up to!

Little Forest

I don't have many knick-knacks--I hate clutter, and I dislike dusting and try to avoid it (yet I'm a clean-freak. I know, the irony). I prefer things to be both beautiful and functional. But sometimes I like to make pretty, whimsical things whose only purpose is to make me happy, like this garland of bright tiny trees. 
I love trees, and tree motifs.

 I'd seen some tree garlands on Pinterest, and wanted to make my own. They're just little triangles of  scraps, a bit of stuffing, and some twill tape (or ribbon) for the trunks, then hand-sewn onto hemp twine. To keep the ends of the twine from fraying, I sandwiched each end between tiny squares of fabric with a little fusible interfacing to help it stick together, and machine-stitched around the edges.

They hang across the doorway to the attic room, and make me smile every time I see them. The little trees are so pretty and cheerful when they're lit up by the afternoon light coming down from the top of the stairs.

Here's the tree garland I made for Christmas. They're their brightest in the winter morning light.

If you'd like to make your own, Svetlana has a nice tutorial here.

Go make something that makes you smile!

Did Someone Say Fabric Shopping?

Tote bags were some of the first things I ever designed. They're fast and fun to make, so useful and have so many creative possibilities. I used this tutorial for the basic technique; from there I've gone on to design purses, cases and pouches of all sorts and styles. My latest is this simple shopping bag, made in bright, cheerful colors and prints.

They're made of quilting cottons and not interlined, so they're very lightweight and packable; they're not heavy-duty enough for major groceries, but great for shopping at gift-shops, craft shows, etc...and perfect to take to fabric stores (they've been put to that test already, of course ;).

I designed it based on my tote bag measurements. I just shortened and widened the handles, sewed them on to the far sides of the bag, and sewed them in half at the top, to make them easier to hold onto. The bottoms are boxed, so the bags hold a lot.

I seem to be really into this red and bright-blue combo lately.

The brighter and wilder they are, the more fun they are! The first two are for me; the next two I made for my mom.

I hope you're having a good week!

Wild Cherry Quilt

Well, if any quilt can brighten up a cold, gray day, I guess this little one can. I love all the delicious shades of cherry, and the yellows and greens give it zing. You can read about how they all came together here.  Pardon the quality of the photos, hastily taken as I shivered in the wind and rain.

I like all its wonderful quilty texture.

 I was hoping to get this one finished sooner, but life happens--you know how it goes. And I always sew and hand quilt so much faster in my head. I'm sure you know how that goes, too. Truth is, I'm not good at sitting still for long. I can sit and hand quilt for an hour or so before I go stir-crazy. Some bloggers write how they hand-sewed the binding of their bed-sized quilt in one sitting while watching a season of 'Law and Order' or something...I wish I could do that, but I get way too squirrelly. So, I'm slow. But that's okay, it's not a race.

Speaking of binding, I take a shortcut: I trim the backing fabric so I can wrap it around to the front and use it as the binding. I've done this since my first quilt. I came up with it on my own, but a while ago I discovered this tutorial, which is very helpful for mitering the corners. I have bound two mini quilts the typical way (including hand-sewing the binding on the back), just to learn it and try it, but it made me so antsy to be done already...and antsy is not how I want to feel while making a quilt. I choose the backing fabric based on the binding I want, or I piece the back to give me the binding I want. I like my binding to be a little wider than standard, so I trim my backing fabric 1 1/2" wider than the quilt top (for this wall quilt, I trimmed to 1"), fold it over twice like in the tutorial, then machine-sew it from the front. I'm always pleased with how it turns out. Who says you have to make things the "right" way.

The backing, with all its colorful stitches.

It measures 34"x 37"

This is my first wall quilt; I've already started another one that I'll show you soon, and I keep thinking of ideas for more. I've long wanted to make one of Amanda Jean's ticker tape quilts (I've been saving my tiniest of scraps), and I really want to make one with Rossie's pebbles.  I like the thought of being able to change my wall art with the seasons or as the mood strikes me. So stay tuned ;)

Linked to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday

Gwen Marston: Quilt Goddess

Last Thursday we had the pleasure of seeing the exhibit "Gwen Marston: Contemporary Quilts" at the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City, Michigan. As I've mentioned before , Gwen is my biggest inspiration. Her 'liberated' approach to quilt design is so freeing and fun, and is how I most love to work. "Liberated Quiltmaking II" is one of my first and favorite quilt books; I re-read it often and those right brain gears just start turning.
I am amazed at how someone can be so creative, varied and prolific! Her quilt styles range from classically traditional patterns with reproduction Civil War fabrics, to the most modern, abstract designs in solids. The quilts in this exhibit were her modern ones, almost exclusively in solids.

So come see some of her quilts with me!

Liberated Log Cabin with String Border (2009, see its photo and description in Liberated Quiltmaking II. But here's a mystery: in the book, it's pictured 'upside down' from the way it was shown in the museum, yet it's hung by a hanging sleeve...so which is the right way up?)
This is my favorite of Gwen's quilts.

Small Study 37 (2010) and Abstraction (2012)
The small quilt is her fabric 'sketch' of her design for the larger quilt.

More small studies

Mexican Hat Dance (2008, Liberated Quiltmaking II)
This one makes me all kinds of happy.

Strippy II (2011)

Medallion in Solids (2007, Liberated Medallion Quilts)

Liberated Log Cabin (2007)
So much quilt love for this one. While this quilt is totally modern, she made her log cabin blocks with the traditional red centers, symbolizing the hearth of the home.

Liberated Log cabin with Applique Border (2008)
I love brights, but I really like the combination of these softer colors.

Framed Red Squares (2007)

High Desert Country III (2008)
These colors remind me of a wonderful road trip to the southwest, especially Utah.

Medallion with Sawtooth Border (2008)
Don't miss that lovely sliver of bright lavender.

Red on Red (2013)
Look at all those juicy reds...mmmm.

Red Square VI (2008)

I hope you enjoyed seeing Gwen Marston's quilts at the museum. These are only some that are on display, through April 27. Thanks for letting me share my excitement with you! I left with so many new quilt ideas, my head kind of hurt, but in a good way. You know, that headache you get when you're on creative overload.

It's is a little off-topic, but in case you haven't seen enough color, this was happening at the museum at the same time: Tibetan monks painting a sand mandala.

I could have stared at it for hours, just trying to take in all the detail and color and texture. Absolutely stunning. Wouldn't it make a gorgeous applique'd wall quilt?! You can read more about their mandala sand painting here.

Have a good week!

Gettin' Zippy Wit It

Every once in a while I go on one of those sewing sprees where I make a whole bunch of one thing...whether I need them or not. This time it was zipper pouches. I could justify making all of these by saying they're so practical to have around, which is true, but who am I kidding? I just love putting pretty fabrics together, and they're such fun to make.

I really like this red with bright turquoise.

Sock monkeys! The top two look like they're swinging from the zipper.

Cheerful flowers. (Real ones will be blooming outside soon...right??)

Bikes, scooters and little red wagons.

This one's a gift for someone who did me a big favor this winter. I hope she likes it!

Each one is made of quilting cotton and linen, and measures 8.5"x 6"x 1.75".

Oh, there's no way I could resist taking this photo. I love to make softies, but this lanky fellow was made by someone else and given to me by my mom, years ago.

Okay, I know I'm not the only one---what sewing projects do you like to make bunches of?

Have a good weekend, and thanks for reading!


Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.