I made this sweet zippered pouch recently.

Of course, I used Erin’s pattern, because it’s perfect. It’s the Essential Wristlet.

Since I’m sending this to a quilty friend in Canada, I wanted to make it quilty. So before making the pouch, I made a little quilt block and bordered with the gorgeous Sandi Henderson Ironworks print. I quilted it with the batting, & then cut my pieces for the zippered pouch from that. After that I just followed the pattern.

I’m always surprised at the number of people that are terrified of zippers. They really are not hard! If you’re unsure, then I want to tell you that Erin‘s patterns walk you through the process step by step. (She’s really not paying me to say this! I just love her patterns!) And I love that the end is clean and not all bunched up/tucked in.

OF course, I had to fill the Sweet Zippered Pouch with candy. That’s what makes it so sweet, right?

I also have to talk about the decorative stitching. It’s my new favorite thing, so expect to see this often! I used Aurifil 12 weight thread (in the bobbin too), a 90/14 needle and lengthened my stitch to 3.5. (I tested 4.0 also and it worked too. I just liked the look of 3.5 better on this project.) Then I just sewed like normal. It worked perfectly! And I think it adds a delightful detail without all the hand stitching…because I LOVE the look of hand stitching but just don’t like doing it!

So there you  have it!  My sweet zippered pouch.    Next goal it to have ALL the colors of Aurifil 12 weight so I can add decorative stitching to everything under the sun.  There are only 252 of them! 

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Repurposed: Adult Skirt becomes Girl Dress

What happens when:

• Your daughter has been spreading rumors that you will make her a beautiful dress for the upcoming father/daughter dance?
• You are feeling rather lazy?

Well you take an old skirt from your closet and turn it into a dress for the dance!

It was SO easy.  And fast.  And totally free since I had everything on hand! YES!

• Take out waistband elastic.
• Refinish top edge.
• Add about 8-10 inches or so shirring (SO EASY).
• Add shoulder straps and a loop on the back to tie the dress using ribbon (I made each ribbon strap about 18 inches and should have gone a bit longer to make a nice bow in the back.)

Wa la! 

And she was beyond thrilled.

She had the most wonderful time dancing with her friends. (She was too embarrassed to dance with her dad more than once.  lol) And eating cotton candy and other goodies.  And she told me, bless her heart, that maybe if she gets married some day I can fix her hair exactly like this.    I love this daughter of mine!  And I’m rather fond of her father too. 

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Melanie attempts antique: Log Cabin Mini Quilt.

My mother-in-law is lucky to own several amazing antique furniture pieces. In fact, the guest room has a gorgeous bed and dresser.The dresser really needed a quilt! It has a spot to hang one….or a mirror or underwear or something. I don’t know the first thing about antique furniture, but a quilt seems like the prettiest option, right?!?

My same mother-in-law was also lucky to retire at the end of 2012. And that seemed like a perfect occasion to make a quilt! The only problem is I don’t really do antique looking things. But I knew the colors for the room and decided a log cabin block seemed antique enough. I don’t know that I pulled it off, but I like it anyway.

The block is an 8 inch block.  I used Rita’s tutorial, which you can find here.  Quilting was done by yours truly with lines about 1/2 inch apart.  The quilt measures about 32 inches square.

First finish of 2013.   Log Cabin Mini Quilt

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This past year, as I have embraced the fact that I am a quilter, it has really struck me how connected we all are…to the past and to the future.  And that’s one of the reasons I love Jan‘s work.  She is aware of the beautiful tradition of our past.  As a designer she perfects the medium of fabric allowing us to create something beautiful today.  And as an organic fabric producer, she also ensures that we move forward with care.  I really encourage you to find out more here. The New Leaf fabrics are 100% GOTS Certified organic fabrics And they are gorgeous.  Seriously stunning!

Here is my inspiration. *Warning: I like to analyze.  

I am calling this Reflections.  I’m sure there is some ‘real’ name for it, but to me it acknowledges the fact that we wouldn’t be doing any of what we are today without past quilters.  They forged the way.  We are a reflection of our past.  But that doesn’t mean we follow the exact same path and end up where we started.  We might come into the quilting world for completely different reasons (The top row.)  We embrace and learn everything we can.  (The middle two rows.)  And then, with knowledge, we move forward on our own path…turn over a new leaf.  (The bottom row.)

Now, onto the block! It’s simply half square triangles!  (See the names of the prints here! And sorry in advance for working partially in daylight and partially at night.   )

I cut my squares all 4 inches.  This means trimming, but it makes me comfortable that I can’t screw anything up too badly.

*Cut two 4-inch squares of floret in both lemon and raspberry
*Cut two 4-inch squares of fantail in both lemon and raspberry
*Cut two 4-inch squares of jewels
*Cut three 4-inch squares of rhapsody in both lemon and raspberry

Refer to this picture to determine pairs! (Remember that each pair will yield two squares.)

Draw a line diagonally on one side.  Sew blocks together using a 1/4 inch on each side of this line.

Cut on the line.  Iron seam to one side.  Trim blocks to 3.5 inches.  Arrange as shown.

Sew squares together on each row, using 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Then sew your rows together.  (Always 1/4 inch seam allowance.)

And you’re done!

Don’t be afraid to turn over a new leaf, but don’t forget from where you came!

Many thanks to Jan for asking me to participate.  Thanks for stopping over!  Have a fabulous weekend.    (It’s a long one!)

The FQ Scramble letter is: R

New Leaf Bee Block Blog Hop Schedule

Mon, 1/14 – Becky Moyer, My Fabric Obsession

Tues, 1/15 – Lynn Harris, The Little Red Hen

Wed, 1/16 – Candy Glendening, Candied Fabrics

Thurs, 1/17 – Holly DeGroot, Bijou Lovely

Fri, 1/18 – Melanie Thornton, Melanie Dramatic (You are here!)

Mon, 1/21 – Emily Cier, Carolina Patchworks

Tues, 1/22 – Rachael Gander, Imagine Gnats

Wed, 1/23 – Maureen Cracknell, Maureen Cracknell Handmade

Thurs, 1/24 – Leanne, She Can Quilt

Fri, 1/25 – Cindy Wiens, Live a Colorful Life

Mon 1/28 – Cheryl Arkison, Dining Room Empire

Tues, 1/29 – Jacquie Gering, Tallgrass Prairie Studio

Wed, 1/30 – Shanna Bailey, Fiber of All Sorts

Thurs, 1/31 – Katy Jones, Monkey Do

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How many quilts have you made? Do you know? Do you keep track? Do you have a quilting journal? Why does it matter?

My 97 year old grandma has made so many quilts. Hundreds. But we have no record of them. She’s made multiple quilts for her 4 children, for her 9 grandchildren and for her 15 great-grand children. She’s made wedding quilts, baby quilts, charity quilts and more. But sadly we don’t have record of it. Someone probably should sort through pictures, scrapbooks and journals to figure it out, but that is a daunting task to be sure. So it is understandable that my mother has repeatedly requested I keep track. After all, I am the one person in our family carrying forward the tradition of quilting. (Though I’m bringing my mother along…maybe by force because I keep gifting her quilting related goods.)

I thought that I’d use my blog to journal it, but holy heck! The pictures aren’t always good, and some don’t exist, I’m super boring, and honestly the time I could spend on blogging, I usually spend in my sewing room. Even if it’s just staring at fabric. Plus I have a little bit of quilting productivity guilt…but that’s another topic all together!

In any case, ideally I’d love to have a photo journal of my quilts. But the reality is that it’s not going to happen. Not right now. So often I don’t get something done because it isn’t the ideal way I picture it. Monday I decided there was something I could do that wouldn’t cost me a dime and also wouldn’t cost me a lot of time: a journal. Simply sit down and write. (I have an office supply surplus. I love the stuff. So I had journal on hand. Here is a cute one from Aneela that I’m tempted to snatch up though!)

Dates (just the year, though I did have to guess at some.) Materials. Pattern. Quilting. Recipient. And any other information I wanted (or remembered). I simple wrote.

Now I have a quilting journal. I still dream of making something really beautiful with pictures included when possible. But I started and that is the whole point. Start keeping a record. Parts of your journal could include finished items, things you want to make as well as ideas and inspiration. Right now I’m focusing on finished quilts, but I may branch out.

Why does it matter? It matters to the tradition of quilting, even if you’re a very non traditional quilter. It matters to the history of your family. It helps tell the story of your life and of all of our history. And it helps demonstrate your growth. Here is a list of what I think journal can offer:

• keep a record
• see growth and improvement
• identify trends
• tell your own handmade story
• recognize your accomplishments
• improve your focus
• know yourself better
• discover yourself and your values
• clarity
• reveal your process
• connect yourself to other (& the future)
• see the bigger picture

And if you’re not really a quilter, but occasionally make a quilt, maybe keep a handmade journal instead.

It was exciting to read over my list. Guess what? I’ve made a lot of cool stuff. And guess what else? Some of it was real crap. But it is there.

Do you have a place you can keep track of your creations?

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I love Christmas.  It’s my favorite time of year.  But last month was really hard for me, not only with sicknesses (my poor baby missed 2 weeks of school) but also with all the tragedies that took place.  I didn’t intend to take a month off from the blog, I’m just finally feeling a little more normal and ready to share and interact again.  So now I have to decide.. should I still share my 2012 finishes (I made 22 quilts last year!  You wouldn’t know it from this blog…but it’s true!) or just move on to 2013 stuff.  My quilt record keeping is lacking and my mom’s not happy about that.

Eh, what the heck! I’ll share this jelly roll quilt that I made for my sister in law. I hope that she and her two beautiful daughters will love snuggling with it.

  The pattern is Picnic in the Park (which is available as an instant download here.)  You can easily make this with one jelly roll (and you end up with a big left over, so it’d be easy to size up or make a couple baby quilts).  The fabric is Reunion from Sweetwater.  The quilt is backed with minky, which I just love for snuggly couch quilts…plus the quilting really looks awesome on minky.    Joanna quilted it for me.  Love her!

I really do hope that your new year is off to a great start! And I’ll see you again soon. Way before next month.

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You may remember when Granny Squares kidnapped me.  Well I finally have the binding on the quilt and it’s in the finished pile!

The colors were all pulled from Bari‘s gorgeous print from LillyBelle.  Because I love it so, and I needed 3 extra blocks for the quilt, I used it on the front and back.  And because I like to have things appear neat and organized, I opted to keep the gray uniform throughout.  (I think, by the way, that I need to get like 5 more yards of that grey print from Sweetwater.  I better go look for it before it’s impossible to find.)  Anyway,  there are 4 greens, 5 blues, 4 pinks, 4 oranges and 4 yellows used in the quilt.

For the main print in each block, I tried to have a range of tones…so a light and a dark and a few in between.  I think that it all works together really nicely.  Joanna quilted it for me!  If I ever get to where I love handwork, or I have tons of extra time, it may be fun to go back and add some big outline stitches around the outside of each block.  But that is far down on my priority list.

The back is oddly pieced (both vertically and horizontally) because I was determined to use the yardage I had available!  The strip is made from left overs from all the fabrics on the front.  The quilt measures around 78×112.

If you’d like to make some granny squares of your own, you can find a tutorial here.  And Katy has a tutorial for strip piecing them here.  And they really do make fantastic pot holders!

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I Heart London (the Quilt) is finished.    And now blogged.  Yay!

The pattern is from these lovely ladies.  I’m so lucky that I live near Beth.  I’m heading to the Dream Laugh Create event in February.  I can’t wait (And I think that you should come too!)  Plus you’ll be able to count it as a week worth of ab exercises, because you won’t stop laughing the whole night.  I guarantee you’ll have such a great time!

Plus, Bari is planning to be there – and I used Bari’s LillyBelle fabrics in this quilt!  It’s serendipitous or something. Most of the fabrics here are Art Gallery fabrics – besides LillyBelle I also used a fair amount of their Elements collections .  I did have to throw in a few others to complete the quilt – and let me tell you, after washing it, I could tell a huge difference between the others and the Art Gallery fabrics.  The quality is so amazing.  I can’t wait for my project with Splendor 1920 (Bari’s newest fabric line.)

This is a raw edge applique quilt.  And so it went together so quickly.  I could easily do 4 blocks a day and not neglect my other responsibilites.  Of course, I used glue during the assembly.  It’s my favorite way to hold things in place now.    (And it washes right out.) The top was done in a week and then it took me a long time to finally get around to quilting it.

Now I have to tell you about about the back.  My husband’s eyes glaze over when I talk about this…or really any fabric things, so I rely on fellow quilting people to get this.  The back is Liberty of London tana lawn fabric!  Hello?!?!?!  Perfection!  Katy (of I’m a Ginger Monkey fame) sent me this fabric a long time ago.  I was just waiting for the perfect project.  I don’t think it could get more perfect than this.  Since it wasn’t wide enough, I split the back and used more of Bari’s fabrics to fill the space.

Full disclosure.  I’ve never been to London.  But I feel like I love it nonetheless.  At the very least, I love this quilt.  And so does Haley.  Here it is on her bed.  Some day we’ll take a trip there and wouldn’t it be fun if we brought the quilt along to photograph all over London?  Or maybe we should just take it to California – isn’t there a London section at one of the theme parks?

Catching up a little at a time!  Granny Squares quilt, Swoon quilt, Christmas quilt and more coming up!    See you again soon.

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I needed a new mug rug.  (A Christmas tree mug rug to be precise.)  I also desperately needed a break from school and vomiting children, but knew it had to be a project that I could finish quickly.  So this all worked together nicely and I ended up with something cute.  (And Kathy tells me that cute brings happiness.  I think it’s true.    I felt much happier after making this new Christmas tree mug rug!)

I have a number of these little mats all over the house.  They’re handy little buggers – big enough for a couple Tim Tams and a drink.   Anyway, next to my sewing machine I was still using my  Olympic mug rug….which I love, but it’s kinda past its prime.  I needed something updated.  So I pulled out my scrap boxes (have I mentioned how handy it is to have everything sorted by color?) and put this together in like 15 minutes.

The tree fabric is something from a local quilt shop (In the Beginning fabric, I think…but I no longer have a selvedge), Michael Miller (LOVE those dots), and Tula Pink.  The tree trunks are from Timeless Treasures…their wonderful sketch fabric.  (I highly recommend Sketch as a stash builder…..in fact, to entice you I have to share with you this bundle from Brenda over at Pink Castle Fabrics.)

The grey background was provided as part of a fabulous scrap pack from Daisy Janie. It’s from her Shade of Grey fabric. Jan’s organic fabrics are so fabulous.  On my agenda this week is to share with you the finished Swoon from Jan’s Tilly fabrics.  And I can’t wait to share a project with you next month that features her New Leaf fabrics!  (Here is Jan’s winter line…and all organic!)

While I was braining storming, I came up with no less than 60 other ideas for rug mug designs.  And some are seriously so cute that I’m dying to make them.  Would it be crazy to do one a month for the next 5 years?  Or a new one every week?   Would anyone buy a pack of templates for several that fit together in a theme?!?!?

Anyway I’m thinking about how I can use these ideas.  So if you have a grand plan, feel free to share it with me!  In the mean time, I have to get back to processing photos, because I have lot of finishes to share. 

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