THAT QUILT!!

That Quilt that I saw way back when, last spring--I think...its been there, in the back of mind, ever since I saw it--tugging on my sleeve like a little kid, whispering in my ear...

"hey!! lady, when are you EVER going to make me??"  

I have been brusque, almost rude in my reply:

"Go on kid... Scram!! Get out of here...I can't make you and we both know it!!"  

But because I am border-line obsessive/compulsive when it comes to these things...I could not let that quilt go or get it out of my mind.  I even reached out to the fabulous Dana over at Old Red Barn Co. seeking her sage advice.  Without hesitation she told me she rarely ever uses a quilt pattern and that this particular pattern seemed to her "completely do-able"

Did you hear that Quilt? YOU ARE COMPLETELY DO-ABLE!!

Whoo-hoo!!  That is all the encouragement I needed, so needless to say: we are on!! No pattern, no clue, no nothin'.  BUT this Quilt and I have a rendezvous with destiny and I couldn't be more excited...but I am kinda nervous...and honestly, a little bit scared.  But in a good way.

Dana invited me to do a quilt along, so, when I figure everything out, I think I am going to take her up on the invitation...will let you know more as I go.

(How does one who has no idea show others? Its kind of like a zen riddle, don't you think?)

In the meantime, I have just a little figuring to do and a few details to work out...um: just a little figuring and just a few details--yeah, right!!...did I mention that nervous/scared thing--still there...but in a good way...But I am up for the challenge, TOTALLY DO-ABLE, remember??

Ok, kid...here I come!!

 wish me luck!

A quilt for my nephew

My nephew recently turned one.  One year old...so heart-breakingly cute and little--still baby but getting bigger.  Its a big one--the first one, and I wanted to do something special.  Ok, honestly, I wanted to give this to him on his actual birth day--but I am averaging about a year per quilt these days, so now, for this birthday--it's right on time!  

His colors are orange and like a bright sky blue.  And a while ago (like a year ago), I came across a photo of a quilt like this on Pinterest...it was love at first sight.  I saw it and I knew my nephew had to have a baby quilt like the photo I saw.  I had no idea how to make it but I did not let that small detail stand in my way...I forged ahead with my low-res color print out in hand and proceeded to make the whole thing up as I went along.  Turns out, (through the magic of google) the pattern is called...

A THOUSAND PYRAMIDS

makes sense, right? 

 Just a bunch of triangles, really...how hard could it be??

Turns out: not too hard! I thoroughly enjoyed making this quilt; I loved the challenge of figuring it out--I was like a quilt detective.  All I had was a photo print out and google--that was it, but I tracked down the pattern, the how-to and figured it out...which was so fun.  I love the bold colors and the simple, graphic nature of the design.  

Kind of perfect for a little boy.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!! We love you very much!!

and of course, a HUGE THANK YOU to Dana over at Old Red Barn for her great tutorial on how to make a quilt.  You can find all her links here (this is the quilt I made for Magda).  I referred back to her tutorial for a brush up on how to do the binding and I can't tell you how much I appreciate her, her great sense of humor and her great blog!!  Thanks Dana!!

LOVE!

oh no...

I think I am seriously sunk....I love this and I am going to have to make it since Urban Outfitters is all sold out....how hard can it be?


I'll let you know...

A quilt for the closet

Doesn't every girl wish for a towering linen closet packed with hand-made quilts made lovingly from the hands and hearts of the family women that have come before her? 

 No? Maybe?? 

Well, I do and it was a sad, sad day for me when I realized my dowry was pretty empty and I would not be inheriting a hankie, much less a treasure trove of hand-made quilts...

but then--I had a moment of clarity; that was when I decided that *I* would be that woman...

I would be that great-grandmother that started the cycle: lovingly making and passing down quilts to my children & grandchildren; and then these --

in turn- could be passed onto my grandchildren's grandchildren and on and on..

I would make that closet full...

Wow...did that thought make me really happy.

So, I taught myself how to quilt.

  Its really not that hard, its a wonderful process and so what if it takes a year to complete...

it is so totally worth it. So far, I've made 4 quilts. 

 I got a little ahead of myself on a couple, maybe going a little too advanced with pattern choice, so for the 4th one, I decided to dial it back and really try to master certain aspects & techniques...

(aka measuring and cutting correctly.) 

 I happen to find the mother lode of all quilt tutorials, the mecca of online quilters everywhere...

Old Red Barn Co.  And Dana is fantastic. 

I followed her expert instruction exactly and am so pleased with this quilt I just finished and gave to Magda for her 6th birthday. 

 (it was supposed to be for her 5th birthday, so you see what I mean about taking a year...)

I love the whole process: settling on a pattern, picking the color scheme/the fabrics...making that first cut...sewing the top together and seeing it take shape...

I love pinning the whole thing together and cramming it thru the sewing machine to quilt it all together. 

(ok, maybe not so much...) 

This time, I actually took my time and hand sewed the binding that was very satisfying and in the end, cutting all the little white threads off, throwing it in the wash and 

seeing my daughter's eyes go as wide as plates when she unwrapped it...she had no idea I had been working on it-- was a total surprise to her.  

She grabbed it, hugged it and then ran over and hugged me and thanked me for all the hard work I put into it just for her--she actually said that.  

She felt loved and I felt proud...

and I know my great granddaughter will feel grateful.

An Opportunity for Art

When we moved into our new house, one of the first thing we did was take out the closets doors in the kids' rooms and the playroom...The doors were old, beat up and just kind of ick...basically left with a blank canvas, something crafty was bound to happen!

Play Room Curtains
These panels are great because they were easy to make and they easily hide all the kids' stuff but still make it all very accessible. My tip of the day: IKEA FABRIC..inexpensive and amazing!!

Magdalena's Room

These started out as the panels for a puppet theater but work better as curtain panels for her closet in our new house. Its kind of a random block pattern that is way easier to put together than it looks. Crucial that all cuts are exactly the same size and then it kinds of lines up all by itself...if you look closely, you can tell that I did not follow my own advice! I LOVE the pom-pom trim...

Maybe My Favorite Thing I've Ever Made...

Absolutely inspired by the spectacular quilts of Gee's Bend AND more than a dozen pairs of old blue jeans I inexplicably held on to and lugged around for years...this classic log cabin pattern was fun and easy to put together. My son, Luca, is the lucky keeper of this gem. I just love it..