Gloves...

I know this sounds like a potentially boring post, but I LOVE my gloves and couldn't quilt without them. I just bought a new pair today and am going to retire my old ones.... can you see why?














I have been using these for my entire quilt-life (4.5 years!) I haven't kept track, but I would estimate that I have done over 250 quilts/wallhangings/tablerunners in that time. They have served me well.

The only drawback is that sometimes my hands get hot. The worn out finger hole did give me some ventilation, but the grime and grossness was just too much! Don't worry - I'll give them a proper burial.
















These are my NEW gloves. Fons & Porter Machine Quilting Grip Gloves. And they were only $3.49 at Quilts N More in Slaten, TX. The funny thing is that Susan says she uses garden gloves that look just like them.

Lubbock Quilt

Bliss has been after me to post some pics of my 'Lubbock quilt.'

She and I have made a couple of these quilts [on a much smaller scale] for friends who have moved away.

I got a bit carried away on mine; it's between a Queen and King size. It was fun to make [but not to quilt]; I backed it with a fine gauge courdoury, so it's very heavy.

Bliss here.... this is a picture of the Lubbock quilt we all made for our quilting friend Julie Olson who deserted us to move to Michigan.

sweet.

Look what I made!!

I love the quilts from Don't Look Now, and I used part of one of her templates for kid smocks to make the applique.

Love it.

The bird's tail and the flower stems are done using free-motion quilting.

I put tear-away stabilizer underneath and just kept going back and forth over the line until it was the thickness I liked. It was SO fun... I'm definitely going to do this technique again. I used a charm pack cut in half and sewed together for the strips--Moda Simplicity. And, everything else was just random fabric I had.

Oh, another fun thing, I quilted the top and bottom stripes with hearts. You know the hearts you used to draw in sixth grade... one on top, one on bottom, etc. It turned out cute and wasn't too hard to do.

i love quilting.

spray basting... the stuff dreams are made of.

This stuff is great. It has changed my life.
When I first met my quilt sisters they were basting a quilt in the back bedroom. That night I woke up at 2am thinking that I had heard a spray bottle. I barely waited till a reasonable hour before calling Grey to ask her where all the PINS had gone. That was a birth of a new era in my life.

I have heard that not all sprays are created equal. We only use the PINK kind that you can buy at Hancock Fabrics.

I know it's scarey to try something new, so I'm showing you step by step just how easy and amazing this is. You'll LOVE IT!! I promise.

Step ONE: Take your batting outside and lightly spray one side. (It's best to have a friend hold the batting so you can spray... although all of us have had fun trying to spray by ourselves in the West Texas wind.) The girls tell me NEVER to spray inside because it will ruin your carpet.

Step TWO: Lay the batting on the floor (sticky side up). Lay the backing on top, centering it and pulling it taught as you lay it down. Rub all around to get out the wrinkles. If you see any big wrinkles, you can lift the fabric and place it again.

Step THREE: Take the batting (now with backing on it) back outside, and spray the other side.

Step FOUR: Lay the batting on the floor again (sticky side up). Take the front of your quilt and place it centered on the batting. I like to fold the quilt front in half so it is easier to get straight.

Step FIVE: Rub out any wrinkles.

TAH DAH!!

You're all ready to quilt by hand or machine.

oh. this is SO MUCH better than pinning.

love it.

Sisters

Last summer as I was helping my daughter drive back from college, we stopped by Material Girls Quilt Shop (a dream come true for me!) I saw a pattern called Nice People Nice Things and fell in love with it, but didn't want to spend $59. Over the last 6 months, I have kept coming back to this quilt and even found a blog set up by the designer here.

Being the creative negotiator, I called my mom and told her that if she bought the pattern I would make us BOTH one. (I'm thinking she definitely got the better end of the deal!) There are 52 blocks, mostly embroidery. I told her not to expect it before she dies, this is a BIG project. She said "That's OK, just give it to Ann" (my wonderful sister-in-law). What a great mom!!
I just finished my first block. I decided to do "Sisters" to celebrate our new "Quilt Sisters" blog. This block is also very special to me because my only sister passed away 25 years ago this month. I have been very blessed my entire life to have friends that have been like sisters. Through rough times and happy times, girl trips, quilting and raising kids; I couldn't have done it without their love, support and humor!

What a great blessing SISTERS are.

bless this house.

Here is a little peek into my craft room. This is another fun way to display a quilt. Yes, it's a REAL piece of fence. Grey and I painted it and hammered it into the wall (my husband went back later for reinforcements.) You can also see my scrap baskets and part of my cutting table.

I love this little wall-hanging. It's super easy (I used a charm packet for the edges). Bliss made one too. If you're still looking for a great last minute Christmas idea, go ahead and copy.

"Put the Lime in the Coconut" OR "Lime & Licorice"

A few weeks ago, I was in the car with my kids and their friends and the song "Put the Lime in the Coconut" came on the radio. I cranked it up and sang along (yes, my kids were embarrassed, but I think I'm cool and that's enough for me). It was a Saturday afternoon and I was in the mood to create.... so I thought HEY! What about a quilt called Put the Lime in the Coconut?

Once I started working on this black & white quilt, my nine year old let me know, quite emphatically, that the quilt should NOT be called that since coconuts are brown. She named the quilt Lime & Licorice. I'm not sure who eats limes with licorice, but for now, this quilt has two names. Comment below and let me know which name YOU like!

I do not write quilt patterns (which means this may not be accurate), but here are my measurement notes from this quilt:

Finished quilt measures 62"x76. There are 20 log cabin blocks. Each block has a 2 1/2" lime square in the middle. I used a variety of black and white fabrics for the blocks, trying to alternate light and dark for each row. Finished block measures 8 1/2 x 8 1/2.

A Block (make 6): Fabric 1 (2) 2.5 x 2, (2) 5.5 x 2
Fabric 2 (2) 5.5 x 1.5, (2) 7.5 x 1.5
Fabric 3 (2) 7.5 x 1, (2) 82 x 1

B Block (make 7): Fabric 1 (2) 2.5 x 1, (2) 3.5 x 1
Fabric 2 (2) 3.5 x 2, (2) 6.5 x 2
Fabric 3 (2) 6.5 x 1.5, (2) 8.5 x 1.5

C Block (make 7): Fabric 1 (2) 2.5 x 1.5, (2) 4.5 x 1.5
Fabric 2 (2) 4.5 x 1, (2) 5.5 x 1
Fabric 3 (2) 5.5 x 2, (2) 8.5 x 2

White Sashing: (15) 8.5 x 6.5 to go between verticle rows. Then cut (4) strips 6.5 ' wide and long enough to attach each row. Then sew 6.5" white border. Binding was done in solid black.

Since I have loads of black and white fabric in my stash, but no piece large enough for backing, I used six pieces 12" wide to make the back. Looks great either way you see this quilt!