2016, like all years, has been incredible. This embroidered piece is influenced by the many sunrises I caught this year; waking up in the dawn’s dark is one of my favorite activities.
After the embroidery was finished, I machine quilted the double wool batting with gold Gutermann thread.
The front up close.
The blue behind.
Thanks for stopping by at any point during this year and after!
Lately I haven’t been feeling like being on the computer because of all the new parts of life. There has been plenty to blog about, but not as much of my energy to go around. With the colder weather I’m sure I will find my way inside…maybe!
This tote is for one of my dearest friends. She is a strong, well-spoken, hardworking, fun, silly woman, and is always there for those in her life. She loves the world and the people in it.
She is classic, graceful, with a pop of daring, and the colors and lines of this bag attempt to capture those qualities.
Thanks for stopping by!
Machine quilting is one of my favorite activities because I love the way quilted lines texture the fabric. This quilted bag came in to being for a friend’s birthday gift. It is sturdy and brightly colored. The fabric is a combination of recent acquisitions and old fabrics waiting to be used.
A close up on the handles.
The inside is not quilted. I used the School of Sewing‘s construction, with some personalized touches, such a size and fabrics.
What type of handmade gifts do you like to give?
These projects waited on binding for some time. Both applique patterns are by Carolyn Friedlander. The first is from Creativebug, a website that offers amazing tutorials.
This project is from Savor Each Stitch, but this is the backside. Check out the front here.
The dawn with the breeze warm.
Mid-morning and five figs in one bowl.
In the evening, even with slow movement, the needle still cracks.
Exciting things have been happening and that energy spawned a new quilt design. Here is sample number one.
The idea for this quilt top happened after I’d cut out triangles from fat quarters, sewed those in to hexagons, and looked at the results. The results are a blend of the past and the present. While I was sewing it up my grandma filtered through my thoughts, and this is a quilt inspired by her.
Cut out triangles for sample quilt top two.
My supervisor stopped in to make sure all arranging was up to snuff.
Problem solving looks classic here.
What have you been making?
This tote was a request I was happy to sew. It is a big tote, and will carry many items. Detailed photos to follow soon.
The sun’s light stuns me everyday. Watching it rise is an inspiration and gift. That giant ends up in many of my creations.
Have a beautiful weekend.
This quilt is an amalgamation of cloth, time, patterns, and my brain. I started making this quilt for a class using The Rabbit Factory’s Homespun Hill. The pieced blocks were fun and quick to put together. The color palette is dewy grass.
I modified this quilt top by adding Carolyn Friedlander‘s Creativebug Polk block. I’ve done some paper-piecing, and found this exercise to be helpful and inspiring. Paper-piecing is a great stash buster. Creativebug provides excellent instructions, visually and in print format (I’m big a fan!).
The quilt top has batiks, prints, solids, and paper-pieced blocks. The fabric on hand became this quilt; in the past year my taste, knowledge, and understanding of fabric has become more robust, and I’m happy to see some old fabrics being incorporated into a quilt and removed from the stash. Sarah Watts’ Honeymoon made it in and some batiks my auntie gifted to me. I’m partial to Sarah Watts round lines.
Honestly, sitting close to this quilt top since April, I don’t know if I’m ready to look at it as a whole. And really, it isn’t complete, because I have to add quilting, backing, and binding. Overall, I like the movement and the quilt top.
What did you make over the weekend?
This tote first started coming together in April, but was set aside for other projects. It caught my eye the other day. I scoped out the previous work, and found I was at the final steps of construction. The instructions are from The School of Sewing.
Free motion quilting is the best, and I love working on improving my skills.
Most of the scraps came from a baby quilt I finished in March.
The fabric scraps are mostly from Lizzy House’s line Natural History. A great line with playful fabrics that I love.
What have you been working on? Thanks for stopping by.
Spices & herbs jazz any meal. Lately I’ve been adding this savory spice & herb mix to eggplant, garlic, pasta, grilled cheese, and potatoes–the results are pretty amazing. As with most things, these spices may be adjusted, substituted, or swapped out as desired. I like to use organic or locally loved and grown ingredients when possible.
The amount of each spice I use depends on my mood and the dish. I follow what I like.
Savory Spice & Herb Mix (amount of spice or herb to be determined per usage)
On these six sliced potatoes below I sprinkled the spices & herbs on along with three slabs of butter, diced up, all mixed on a rimmed baking sheet. The oven was 375 degrees Fahrenheit; I placed the tray in, stirred the potatoes every fifteen minutes, checking for the desired crispness. The cooking time was forty-five minutes.
What spices do you enjoy using?
Brambleton Threads 