Category Archives: Life

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {48}

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The garden continues to burst forth with flowers of every size, shape, and color, and I continue to draw inspiration and excitement from the abundant beauty. Today’s inspiration includes more photographs from my garden, transformed into color palettes using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1.

baby pink color palette flowersCorresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Lt Blue, Bella Glacier, Kona Ballerina, Kona Silver, Bella Home Town Sky, Kona Grasshopper

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2560 – Iris
1126 – Blue Grey
2562 – Lilac
2405 – Oyster
5014 – Marine Water
1114 – Grass Green

This tree smells divine. It’s called Pink Silver Bells (Halesia monticola) and certainly lives up to its name. It’s tough to see the bell-like shape of the flowers from this palette photo, but here’s another look:

pink silver bells tree floweringThe flowers feel so dainty and delicate, and the pale baby pink compliments them perfectly.

bright pink fuscia color palette flowersCorresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Pewter, Bella Etchings Charcoal, Bella Boysenberry, Kona Plum, Bella Berrylicious, Kona Bright Pink

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2610 – Lt Blue Grey
1140 – Bark
2345 – Raisin
4030 – Plum
2479 – Med Orchid
2450 – Rose

If you look down after photographing the Pink Silver Bells, you immediately kick the pink up a notch to one of my favorites: bright, bold, sassy fuchsia. I was anti-pink for a long, long time, but especially lately, I’ve embraced it in both quilting and wardrobe. It’s just so bright and cheerful, how can you resist!? Not to mention the fact that it pairs swimmingly with turquoise, my tip top favorite color. I definitely would use this color palette in a quilt, but if you had told me 10 years ago that I would consider making an entirely pink quilt, I would have laughed and said you were crazy.

lilacs color paletteCorresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Steel, Bella Mauve, Bella Amelia Lavender, Bella Betty’s Brown, Bella Baby Blue, Kona Geranium

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2610 – Lt Blue Grey
2566 – Wisteria
2524 – Grey Violet
5013 – Asphalt
2562 – Lilac
4030 – Plum

Lilacs are an annual reminder to enjoy every minute and always take time to stop and smell the flowers. If you don’t, you will miss them! As soon as the lilacs begin to flower, I cut some for our table so that we all can enjoy them to the fullest. I love that this year, my 5 yr old daughter has made it a daily routine to go out and smell the lilacs upon returning home from school. Like mommy, like daughter!

Our house smells divine, thanks to one bouquet of lilacs on the kitchen table. Can you smell them from there?

Life, Quilting

Voting Open for Bloggers Quilt Festival

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The Bloggers Quilt Festival is underway over at Amy’s Creative Side, and now is when you (and I!) get to browse the wonderful entries and vote for our top three favorites in each category. I love seeing familiar quilts from some of my favorite blogging friends, but also like to discover new quilters whose quilts inspire me. It’s a quilt show that you can enjoy at your leisure, all from the comfort of your own home (you can browse and vote in your jammies–I won’t tell anyone!)

As I shared in my previous Bloggers Quilt Festival post, this is the first year I’ve entered a quilt. My Alison Glass Prismatic Medallion quilt is in the ROYGBIV category!

Alison Glass Prismatic Medallion ROYGBIV mini quiltIf you love this cheerful mini as much as I do, I invite you to visit the ROYGBIV category and vote! To vote for your favorites, simply click the heart in the top-right corner of the photo. Here are links to all of the categories, as well as the prizes offered by the generous sponsors.

Please consider voting for my Alison Glass Prismatic Medallion quilt as one of your top three favorites in the ROYGBIV category.

Enjoy browsing all of these wonderful quilts. I know I have been having a tough time choosing only three top favorites! The good news is, I *think* you can vote every day, so I’ve been visiting daily to give a variety of my favorite quilts some voting love. Voting is open until May 29th.

 

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {47}

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The blues found in nature are among my all-time favorite colors. Forget-me-nots, delphiniums, hyacinths, the sky, the ocean… all the most gorgeously varied shades of blue! Today’s color palettes are created from some photographs of grape hyacinths found at a local park–Belfast City Park.

Color palettes are created with Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs. An awesome feature of the palette builder is that it matches fabric solids and Aurifil thread, too. This week I discovered that we could use more variety in our fiber blue-voilets–the matches are not entirely accurate–or maybe mother nature wins the hand when it comes to color. That doesn’t mean we can’t soak in the gorgeous colors and feel inspired!

grape hyacinth flower color paletteCorresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Deep Blue, Bella Terrain Iris, Kona Hyacinth, Kona Dahlia, Bella Clover, Bella Stone

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2735 – Med Blue
1248 – Grey Blue
2520 – Violet
2520 – Violet
2908 – Spearmint
2605 – Grey

This palette captures the lighter blues and purples, while the next one focuses on the darks. Seeing this sea of hyacinths, I had to take a little detour to photograph them. Now THIS is spring!

grape hyacinth color paletteCorresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Night Sky, Kona Bright Periwinkle, Kona Laurel, Kona Coal, Kona Lavender, Kona Hyacinth

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1248 – Grey Blue
2775 – Steel Blue
4173 – Dk Olive
1158 – Med Grey
2520 – Violet
1128 – Lt Blue Violet

Perfect little grape bells dance around a hundred stalks. This palette reads more purply, catching the darker and denser flowers. As I mentioned above, the solids and thread color matches are not as accurate as they usually are.

color palette match inaccuracy

As you can see, the actual fabric matches read a lot more on the side of either straight blue or straight purple. The flowers are a lovely blend of blue-violet in a variety of shades. Isn’t the aesthetic variety in nature amazing!?!

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {46}

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Ahh, spring! Color is everywhere, sun is slowly warming the soil, and the world is coming back to life. Spring is my favorite season, until summer comes along… and then fall with the crispness and the gorgeous leaves, followed by that first gorgeous snow that makes me love winter. I guess I’m just grateful to live in a place with clearly defined and vastly different seasons. The constantly changing environment keeps the wonderment fresh.

Today’s color inspiration is again from my garden, with color palettes made using Play Crafts‘ wonderful Palette Builder 2.1. The matching Kona & Bella solids and Aurifil thread is also a perk of the palette builder–if you haven’t tried it, I would definitely suggest taking a moment to make palettes out of your favorite photos. It might change the way you see the world–or do you already see the world in fabric and thread?

green droplets color palette

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Dusty Jade, Bella Betty’s Teal, Kona Graphite, Bella Christmas Green, Kona Jungle, Bella Sprout

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2845 – Lt Juniper
2850 – Med Juniper
1246 – Grey
2892 – Pine
2890 – Dk Grass Green
1114 – Grass Green

On a whim, I did a quick google search for green after creating this palette. I felt like this photo and resulting palette said so much, yet I couldn’t quite put it to words. An interesting website on color psychology pretty much nailed my sentiment. Green…

This is the color of balance and harmony. From a color psychology perspective, it is the great balancer of the heart and the emotions, creating equilibrium between the head and the heart.

From a meaning of colors perspective, green is also the color of growth, the color of spring, of renewal and rebirth. It renews and restores depleted energy. It is the sanctuary away from the stresses of modern living, restoring us back to a sense of well being. This is why there is so much of this relaxing color on the earth, and why we need to keep it that way.

There’s much more reflection on the color green here, if you are interested.  Maybe I need more green in my fabric stash?

orange tulip color palette

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Ochre, Bella Shocking Pink, Kona Mango, Bella Kansas Red, Bella Pine, Kona Pickle

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2930 – Toast
2215 – Peach
2210 – Caramel
2385 – Terracotta
5013 – Asphalt
5016 – Olive Green

Ahhh, finally some more color! I love this range of oranges, with a nice anchoring dark green and a splash of Pickle! How can you go wrong with Kona Pickle?

orange tulip color palette

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Fig Tree Apricot, Bella Amelia Orange, Kona Cedar, Kona Nectarine, Kona Moss, Kona Evergreen

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2930 – Toast
2210 – Caramel
2350 – Copper
2215 – Peach
4173 – Dk Olive
2570 – Aubergine

Here’s just one more photo to share the smooth silkiness of the tulip petals. This palette would make a fabulous spring quilt, perhaps with some added low volumes. Simple, cheerful, full of new life.

What is your favorite sign of spring?

Life, Quilting

The Big Push

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As much of the quilting world prepares for Quilt Market, urgently pushing to complete those finishing touches on booths, accessories, new bags, business cards, etc., I share that energy as I try to get a few last projects from my work in progress pile into the “finished” pile. My deadline is not the impending Market, however. I am entering the final week(s) before having a baby. Amazingly, I’m feeling pretty hopeful that I will be able to complete the quilting projects that need to be finished before baby arrives (let’s not even talk about the projects around the house, though–priorities, right?), and I’m trying hard not to take on more projects in the meantime.

finishing touches quiltingTwo of the big quilting projects are no strangers to you loyal readers, so prepare yourselves for yet another look at the Pinkalicious Hazel Hedgehog baby quilt I’m working on for my sister-in-law, and the Alison Glass Prismatic Medallion mini quilt I’m finishing up for my partner in the Alison Glass Mini Quilt Swap on Instagram.

alison glass prismatic medallion quilt binding

Thankfully, I’m on the final binding phase for the Prismatic Medallion mini quilt. I’m binding it with my new favorite: Robert Kaufman Essex Yarn Dyed Linen blend in Charcoal, with coordinating 50wt Aurifil 1246 – Grey. I used straight-grain binding and next time will use bias binding, since I’m finding that the backs of the corners are a bit off kilter. Since the front corners line up perfectly and look nice and crisp, I’m not worrying about it, but I’m still searching for that secret tip to making perfect corners on the front and back when binding a hexagon. I’m in the process of setting up a skype date with Carla from Granny Maud’s Girl way over in Perth, Australia, since she says she knows the secret to binding hexagons–how awesome is this technological world and the quilting community within it!?

alison glass prismatic medallion quilt bindingI’m hoping to have a mini finish to share soon!

hazel hedgehog quilting plan with aurifilI also need to finish quilting Hazel. I ordered the coordinating Aurifil from Hawthorne Threads, and now that it’s here, that can go back into my project circulation. I’m planning to do simple outline echo quilting on Hazel’s face and body with Aurifil 2423 – Baby Pink, since it is just a *little* bit pinker than her face and will add the texture without detracting from her features. The lighter pink color will be a fun addition to her bright pink legs and body. I ordered 40wt this time, since I love the added thickness that helps the quilting pop.

hazel hedgehog quilting plan with aurifil

I’ve decided to try my very first matchstick quilting in the heart, since it’s a small enough space I don’t think it will be too crazy to complete before baby. Plus, I am going to try to quilt the baby’s name–Reagan–into the heart via negative space. For this, I’m going to use Freezer Paper for the very first time! I bought a big roll over a year ago when my late quilting Grammy said that it was an absolute must for paper piecing. I’ve never used it for paper piecing since I strongly prefer the foundation paper method, but I’m hoping to cut out freezer paper letters spelling Reagan, iron them onto the heart, and then matchstick quilt within the heart, but NOT on the letters. Is that as clear as mud? I promise I’ll take photos of the process, and fingers crossed that it works the way I envision!

variegated aurifil thread

I ordered my very first spool of variegated thread for the heart matchstick quilting, and I think the color is perfect–it’s Bubblegum variegated 3660! I ordered 50wt this time and very well might keep my panacea Dove thread color in the bobbin since with matchstick quilting, I’m afraid of running out of thread before I’m finished.

I also have another project, a pattern I’m developing, which I’m trying to finish before baby comes. For now, I can’t show you much, and the progress is not nearly as close to complete as these first two projects. Getting Hazel and the Prismatic Medallion into the finished pile will certainly help me focus on the new pattern, though, so little steps it is!

Finally, I thought I’d share my last and greatest work in progress, heading to the “finished” pile at an unknown impending date.

baby work in progress 39 weeksHere I am between 38 and 39 weeks pregnant with my third baby, a boy. He’s still in progress, but should be joining us on the outside world (aka finished cooking) in the coming weeks. Makers gotta make!

I’m linking up with Freshly Pieced’s Work in Progress Wednesday, and Molli Sparkles’ Sunday Stash, since I added some more Aurifil thread to my stash to finish these projects.

Design, Giveaway, Life

Inspiration is Everywhere {Giveaway Winner}

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Inspiration is everywhere. It is clearly decided that we creative folks pull our inspiration from just about anywhere.

inspiration is everywhereThere were 478 comments on my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day post, and I truly wanted to respond to them all. I asked you to share what inspires you to create, and the answers were inspiring in and of themselves! Thank you so much for sharing your inspiration. Many of the inspiration sources resonated deeply with me, since I, too, seem to find inspiration just about anywhere. I’ve decided to share some of the top sources of inspiration, as shared by you, my readers.

random number generator resultsBut first, a winner! Mr. Random chose comment 362 as the winner of the fabric bundle and two patterns of choice from Quilting Jetgirl. Congratulations Amanda! Please check your email and get back to me with your mailing address and patterns of choice!

winner comment

Here are some of the top sources of inspiration pulled from your comments:

Blogs, Instagram, Pinterest, and other online inspiration

Many of you find inspiration in the beautiful things that others have made. Our extensive online community of creative souls makes it possible for us to draw inspiration from such a wide world of creativity!

Color and Texture

Color and texture is literally EVERYwhere, and you creative folks can see it! Many of you said that color, either in nature or in general, and texture were top sources of inspiration for you.

dahlia color palette
A palette created for my Color Inspiration {22} post. Color in nature!
Patterns in Life

Whether a gorgeous miracle found in nature, or a man made structure, patterns in life inspire many of you to create. Some of the top sources are:

Nature
Geometry
Tiles
Architecture
Art

People

People in our lives inspire much creativity. Some create for charity, so the knowledge that someone in need will be gifted a quilt filled with love drives the sewist’s inspiration. Some create for their family and friends. Children, especially, seem to be a big source of inspiration. Sometimes, it’s the people in our lives who have passed, or the one who taught us how to quilt who inspires us most.

Learning New Techniques

Some of you are inspired by the desire to learn new techniques, or experiment with different mediums.

Peace & Quiet

The ability to escape to a place of silence and peace is inspiration for some. I can certainly relate to this as a mom of two-soon-to-be-three rambunctious and spirited children. Life is busy, loud, and often chaotic. Moments of silence and peace are inspiring indeed!

Photograph by Xisco Bibiloni from Flickr; Quote taken from comment by Angela from Lil' Angel Stitches.
Photograph by Xisco Bibiloni from Flickr; Quote taken from comment by Angela from Lil’ Angel Stitches.
History

The amazing quilters of the past, and the creativity of the ones who first began to sew scraps of fabric together to create quilts are inspiration.

Materials

The materials themselves are a source of inspiration for many. “A lovely hand-dyed yarn or fetching pattern on fabric are my starting points and then I go from there to find a pattern to use them with.” shared Laura aka aprilshowers.

The NEED to Create

This is my favorite, and also a strong source of inspiration for you creative folks. Many of you mentioned that the root of your inspiration is simply a need to create. Afton from Quilting Mod nailed it with her comment:

“I am inspired by an innate desire to create and make beautiful things.” – Afton from Quilting Mod

I’ve discussed this feeling before, and agree that for me, while inspiration truly comes from everywhere–family, friends, nature, texture, color, blog and IG posts, people who need or request quilts, architecture, pattern, fabulous fabrics and threads–my sewing is driven by an innate desire to create.

Thank you for sharing your sources of inspiration, and most of all, thank you for creating. Each of you makes the world a bit more beautiful with every stitch!

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {45}

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What a difference one week makes this time of year! Last week, we barely had buds on the trees, and this week the garden is blooming with life! Today’s color inspiration comes (finally) from my garden. Color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

baby blues color inspiration color palette

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Stone, Kona Shadow, Kona Blue Bell, Kona Graphite, Bella Eggplant, Bella Parchment

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2605 – Grey
2600 – Dove
5088 – Sugar Paper
1246 – Grey
2468 – Dk Wine
2315 – Pale Flesh

Our magnolia trees are blooming, painting the yard with gentle whites and vivid pinks . I love that we have multiple magnolia trees, since they are usually one of the first signs that spring is truly here. Their blooms burst seemingly all in one day, another flower blooming each minute. Late last week, on one of the first truly warm days, my five year old noticed this phenomenon and said, “Mom, another flower opens every minute!”

pink magnolia color inspiration color palette

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Espresso, Bella Etchings Charcoal, Bella Plum, Bella Petal Pink, Bella Etchings Slate, Bella Barn Door

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5024 – Dark Brown
2370 – Sandstone
2566 – Wisteria
2562 – Lilac
2325 – Linen
2345 – Raisin

I personally prefer the pink magnolias, but perhaps it’s because range of bright pinks really cheers me up after a drab colorless winter. They are a little slower to fully bloom, but I’m patient.

yellow orange daffodils color inspiration color palette

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Blue Bell, Kona Graphite, Kona Amber, Kona Citrus, Bella Pesto, Kona Pickle

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
6720 – Slate
1126 – Blue Grey
2145 – Yellow Orange
2120 – Canary
5015 – Gold Yellow
5016 – Olive Green

My first garden-inspired color inspiration post of spring wouldn’t be complete without some daffodils. The family who owned the house before we did planted about a thousand daffodils.  I’m not exaggerating, either. We have at least six different varieties, and they are everywhere: along just about every garden border, forming sunny circles around trees, even just popping up in the grass in some spots where clearly there used to live another decorative tree of some sort. This time of year, our table is adorned with vases and mason jars full of daffodils picked with glee by my kiddos.

Color is slowly popping up between the tufts of green. We even have a tulip peeking out:

tulip bud

And one of my favorite colors of blue hides beneath the daffodil stalks:beautiful blues

Spring is here!!

Life, Sewing

My 6+ Hour 1 Hour Basket (and Worth Every Minute)

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This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share a commission.

The 1 Hour Basket. I’m sure you’ve seen it, especially if you are on Instagram. It’s a fairly new, free pattern by Kelly at Kelby Sews, and it is all. the. rage.  Currently there are 1,189 posts with the tag #hourbasket on Instagram, and some of those tags include photos of a ROOM full of 1 hour baskets. It’s an (awesome) epidemic.

I’ve been wanting to make one to see what all the fuss is about, and today I had the pleasure of attending a free 1 Hour Basket class at Alewives Fabrics in Nobleboro, Maine. I did it! I made my very first (and not my last) 1 hour basket. Granted, with all the chatting I did with Sarah from Berry Barn Designs, paired with the 1.5 hour drive each way, my basket took me 6 hours to complete, without even counting the bit of preparatory flying geese sewing I did before class. But honestly, it was worth every minute.

one hour basketWhen Rhea from Alewives posted on Instagram about the free 1 Hour Basket class she was offering, Sarah suggested we meet there since we have been blogging buddies since the new bloggers blog hop about a year ago (has it been that long?), but have never met in person. With only a few weeks to go until baby time, it was the perfect mommy get away day! I’m so grateful she thought of the idea to meet up, since it was just the nudge I needed to commit to going.

one hour basket sewing class at alewivesRhea and Shelby at Alewives had us making a slightly modified basket, with added outer pockets and a different handle option. There is something about being in a room full of happily sewing people that just makes a day sunnier.

sarah from berry barn designs
It was fabulous to meet Sarah from Berry Barn Designs and get to sew together!

I got to sit next to Sarah during the class, and we had a great time chatting and sewing and chatting and sewing. Sarah was super ambitious and made TWO baskets, which worked out wonderfully since I was moving at a snail’s pace. That’s one challenge to being hard of hearing and attending a sewing class. I can only hear if I look at the speaker, but I can only sew if I look at my sewing! I think I found a good balance, and we definitely had a blast.

hour basket finish

one hour basketThis basket will be an “extra” for my Alison Glass Mini Quilt Swap partner, since that was the initial intention and no matter how much I love it, I feel like giving it away is the way to go. Plus, I can always make more! As Rhea warned in the beginning of class, this basket is addicting. I think she’s right, since I’m already plotting my next one (or ten).

Here’s just a short list of functional ideas, and the reason I may need to make an abundance of these baskets:

  • Holding diapers and wipes in various locations in the house
  • Sorting fabric
  • Sorting fabric scraps
  • Portable knitting or handiwork organizer
  • Holding works in progress
  • Holding toys
  • Best gift bag ever–fill with wine, chocolate, or other occasion goodies

What would you do with your 1 hour basket?

Grab your favorite fat quarters, then order your supplies (affiliate links below) and make your own!

Pellon Fusible fleece
Aurifil Thread in my fav neutral
OLFA Ergonomic Rotary cutter
OLFA Frosted Ruler
Sew Tites, magnetic pins I can’t live without!

Find the 1 Hour Basket pattern HERE. Happy sewing!

 

Life

Quilty Thankful Thursday

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Color Inspiration has been laying dormant for the past few weeks, much like the plants outside and the baby in my belly. Actually, neither the plants outside nor the baby in my belly are truly dormant–they are moving and working and growing like mad, but so far it has all been out of sight. They are both getting ready to burst forth with vigor, though, I can feel it. With mere weeks now until potential baby time, I’ve been spending a lot of time sewing in an attempt to wrap up my pre-baby quilty to-do list, which means a bit less time for blogging. I still love you, I promise.

Last Thursday I had a particularly thank-FULL day and decided to share some of the highlights this week, linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl’s Quilty Thankful Thursday. Be forewarned: I’m breaking one of my biggest blogging rules in this post and using almost entirely iPhone pictures (gasp. shudder). Gratitude does not discriminate, though, and I’d rather share my thanks than hold back due to a lack of appropriately awesome photos. Please forgive me.

Sewing time

Last week was spring break week, which meant no preschool for Maddie. The kids and I had a *mostly* exciting week full of play dates. To top it off, my mother-in-law was free to play with both kids all day on Thursday. This gave me some much needed, uninterrupted sewing time so that I could finish the Pinkalicious Hazel Hedgehog baby quilt for my sister-in-law. I know once little baby boy makes his appearance, long stretches of sewing time will be impossible for a good long time. I breathed deeply and enjoyed every moment.

Unexpected Fails-Turned-Wins
quilt math error win
Top right and bottom left are a bit too big, but nothing a bit of squaring can’t help!

During my epic sewing day, I discovered that the small fabric shop from whom I’d purchased the background fabric had made an error and sent 1.25 yards instead of 1.5 yards of the necessary fabric (unexpected human error: fail). With my original plan, the 1.25 yards not only would require exorbitant piecing, but would simply not be enough to fill the background (epic conundrum made more epic by the severe time crunch). BUT, since I had made the last minute decision to piece a heart in a speech bubble to add to the quilt top, I was able to finagle all of the dimensions and cutting calculations to make it work. Without the speech bubble, it would not have been possible. AND the errors I made while reconfiguring the quilt layout (shh, I was tired!) resulted in slightly larger than necessary pieces instead of too small (accidental quilt math fail-turned-win). Awesome. What could have been a total bust of a soon-to-be-extinct sewing day resulted in a completely pieced, layered, basted, and partially quilted baby quilt. Blissfully grateful!

Surprise Gifts

surprise gifts

In the midst of this wild sewing day, I received a package. It was addressed to me and from a machine embroidery shop, but I could not for the life of me remember what I had ordered. Surprise!! It was a completely amazing and unexpected gift of 20 bobbins from Yvonne. It immediately took my bobbin count from one to 21, which is unfathomably amazing.

loading a bobbinI now can quilt with MANY colors, and have a bobbin to match! AND I can load multiple bobbins before quilting to smooth out the process. Life changing. I’m continuously amazed by and grateful for the generosity and kindness that runs so deeply in our quilting community. Yvonne, through picking up on a little single-bobbin-juggling aside during an email exchange, decided to invite my husband into a mission of espionage to send me a gift. Yvonne, you are SO kind and I am grateful for our friendship.

Power of Community

flowers for eleni

One last bit of gratitude, from just yesterday. As another example of how powerfully positive the quilting community can be, Jodi from Tales of Cloth posted about the completion of the #flowersforeleni quilt tops made for Rachel from Stitched in Color. 550 flowers, made by 240 women from 4 continents, all in loving support of a fellow quilter whose baby girl was born with unexpected complications and an unknown future. I recommend you read Jodi’s full post HERE, but I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this effort. I made two of those 550 flowers, filled with hope, and prayers, and support. There’s power here in this quilting community, and from what I’m seeing, we are using it for immense good. It makes my heart swell.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, a little reminder about the importance and value of gratitude:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order,
confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

Go ahead. Unlock the fullness of life. It takes practice, but it is possible. Thank you, Yvonne, for getting us quilters into the habit of being grateful.  I’m linking up with Thankful Thursday, although I will try to be thankful every day.

Life, Quilting

April Finish: {ALYoF} Pinkalicious Hazel Hedgehog Quilt Top, Plus Some!

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I went easy on myself this month for A Lovely Year of Finishes (ALYoF) and set my April goal at finishing the quilt top for my sister-in-law’s baby shower yesterday. I made a totally pinkalicious Hazel Hedgehog quilt featuring a giant sized hazel and a fun heart speech bubble I created just for this project. Did I meet my goal? Yes!

hazel hedgehog flimsy finish
Hazel Hedgehog “Hello, Love” baby quilt flimsy finish.

Even with the heart speech bubble addition, I was able to finish the flimsy (quilt top) before the baby shower. Since I finished this flimsy in the midst of a rare “full mommy sew day” when my mother-in-law took the kids for a play day, I decided to forge ahead and start basting and quilting little (giant) Hazel.

After a particularly late night and early morning quilting/binding session, I managed to quilt the entire background and speech bubble, AND make and attach the binding. Normally, I would complete all of the quilting before binding, but since I really wanted a presentable quilt for my sister-in-law Stephanie’s baby shower, and since the unquilted portion is completely enclosed in quilted background, I decided to get a little cheeky and bind the quilt before completely quilting.

quilt wrapped nicely
The purple bag with pink tissue and ribbon on the left contains the quilt.

With the quilt bound, I was able to roll it, wrap it nicely in tissue paper and a ribbon-bound bag, and gift the quilt with no worries of fray.

gorgeous spring baby shower gifts
Spring baby shower gift table decor–so alive!

Stephanie opening her quilt

Gifting Hazel hedgehog quiltMy sister-in-law LOVED it, so mission accomplished! Even with a few basting pins still in Hazel and the heart, which will be quilted as soon as the color matched Aurifil thread arrives, it was fun to get to give this gift. Just think: hidden behind this quilt are two big baby bumps–cousins destined to be rolling around on top of this fun quilt (Stephanie is due a couple weeks after I am).

I will share more detail photos of the quilting and finishing in a later finish post once the quilt is completely finished (this will help keep the fire lit under my bum so that I actually finish it before baby time!) But for now, here’s a closer look at the speech bubble heart I’m calling “Hello, Love”. I’m planning on writing up a pattern for this block, since it’s such a perfect block to add to any of Elizabeth Hartman’s giant creatures, and I could definitely go for a speech bubble heart pillow!

speech bubble heart pieced block

I’m linking up with the ALYoF April Finishes Party, as well as Monday Makers and Design Wall.