the last day of October...

It's the end of October and the last of the garden veggies were pulled up today. The kids had fun washing the carrots and, of course, eating them. We also have a big bowl of green tomatoes in the kitchen, ripening slowly. I read that green tomatoes will eventually ripen...and it's true!

I also started a new quilt last night, thanks to Cutie, who let me have some creative time. Precious time.

A noble viking and fairy princess! Happy Halloween!

3 tops done, here's one of them

I managed to finish the top of my latest quilt. I stayed up late, till 2am on Thursday night, smiling and loving the rhythm of the sewing machine.

I have quite a challenge over the next couple of months - teaching myself to machine quilt with a walking foot and darning foot. After that hurdle is accomplished (or after I can get some practice under my belt) I can start completing the 3 quilt tops I made during summer. This one plus another two, pictures to come. In addition, there are 2 more quilts floating in my head. Ideas abound and inspiration is everwhere!

Utili-quilt

This is a quilt I made in 2010 after using every fabric in the scrap bag. It is a scrap purge quilt (and even some old clothes) and I consider it a "color study design."

The very special thing about this quilt is the olive green fabric that is placed in the upper left corner. It is fabric from the shirt Cuite was wearing when we met. The elbows in the shirt had become holes and it was time to retire it...but I just couldn't part with it. I cut out as many squares from the shirt as I could and sewed it into this quilt.

The other very special thing about this quilt is its utilitarian purpose. The batting is an old sheet instead of puffy cotton fill so the quilt has a fantastic weight to it. It is heavy, durable, and packs down small so it's easy to shove in a backpack. This is our play quilt. It becomes a cave, or a wall (when thrown over the dinner table). We use it as a picnic blanket, a beach blanket, for tea parties, and it comes camping with us every time. It has become...a big part of the family.

Every time I see the quilt, I see Cutie's shirt. I am starting to believe the shirt has gotten more wear in the quilt than it did as a shirt. It's also a nice reminder of how far we have come together since that first meeting. 

Happy Quilting!

Dream

The dream is simple: bitchin quilts as far as the eye can see.

some quilts I have made....

These are some of the quilts I have made. I started quilting in 2008 after finishing a small baby quilt for my daughter. I fell in love with the process of making a quilt. I love all of the different steps involved (measuring, drawing, outlining, cutting, stacking, sewing, connecting, bordering, binding...) and I strive towards completion. Completion is a big part of the process.

The baby quilt for my daughter has become a family momento of her first year. She would lay on it in her first months, then roll, push up, sit, and one day she stepped off of it. The little quilt has seen it's fair share of messes too! Now it hangs over my son's crib edge.

I hope to quilt as long as I can and my head is always full of new designs.

Happy Quilting!