Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Inspiration


Thank you for all the nice comments about my log cabin quilts! My inspiration for making them with the larger than common red center squares came from this quilt here - a quilt made by either my Nana or Great-Aunt. This old quilt uses 1 1/2" strips - or less - (logs finish at 1" or less) I suppose depending upon how much of a scrap of fabric was on hand. The finished quilt is on the small size - but a good size for the 3/4 sized beds that used to be so common (in between a twin and double). Close-up fabric photos for you fabric hounds out there! It is summer spread - meaning there is no batting, but every single log is quilted anyway! I had this quilt on my bed every summer as a little girl and despite years of use, it still looks brand new!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Scrap Log Cabin Quilts


















362" of binding finally finished! I sewed the binding to the top and hand stitched it (off and on) to the back only because I didn't know a better way. Well, believe me, over the course of 362" of binding - I have experimented with several different binding methods, my favorite method now being what I used when I attached the Green Ocean Waves binding (explained in an older post within the past month or so).


This is my 5th finished large log cabin (still working on the 6th). I cut the center squares 3.5" and the strips are cut 2". The finished block size is 14.5". Top is 90.5" X 90.5". This quilt is a gift for one of my sisters. Hopefully my husband won't grieve its departure from our household too much (gosh, he gets soooo attached to any quilt I make!) as we just so happen to have a very similar one of our own... which I have with me - so here is a photo... OK, different setting, different quilting pattern, maybe some different fabrics - but certainly alot of the same fabric. I liked this setting so much I made 2, maybe even 3 all alike. But I am liking the furrows setting very much now too! Hummm...





If you are planning on buying something from Amazon, I would appreciate it if you use my links! Thank you!



Monday, March 12, 2007

On Biking

What fun! Little Boy's first bike!!! On a perfectly cold day a few weeks ago, when he was literally bouncing off the walls from being inside, I thought - time for a bike! One of my sisters was a bit surprised... you're buying him a bike TODAY? It is freezing out. Well, yeah - that is the idea - we will get good service - they should be slow! So, with said sister in tow we set off to the bike shop where they adjusted 2 different bikes and 3 different helmets for him. Believe me, this all was a BIG undertaking, but after about 1 hour I do believe we found the perfect fit!

Cape Cod's old railroad bed has been turned into a bike path and this time of year on a cold day - well, it isn't crowded! Which is a good thing because right now he is just learning and it is nice not to have to worry about staying on the right side of the trail. And because it is Cape Cod - you might notice, no snow! We do get snow, but being surrounded by salt air, it very quickly melts. This leaves the rail trail bare and perfect for bike riding, even if we do have to wear winter gear. We just about live in our ski pants this time of year and I am honestly starting to believe that my son and I are the only 2 people on all of Cape Cod that wear ski pants on a daily basis, but at least we are staying nice and warm when we are outside.

In anycase - biking was a great bra
instorm - this is something that actually wears him out. We've started slowly - truthfully, I think it takes longer to pack up for riding than our actual riding time; afterall, he is only 3.5 years old, but he is liking it! We were doing great, and then it got really, really cold (10F which is -12C) so we weren't able to go at all this week. I don't mind some cold weather, but you have to draw a line somewhere. Today was super nice (in the mid-40's) and I noticed lots of cars in the parking lot so it would have been too busy today for him, being the weekend and all. But - the weather forcast seems promising this coming week so I have my fingers crossed for more bike riding.

And, in remembrance of my Mom... a photo of a special place.


Friday, March 09, 2007

Reds...


Don't let a stack of pretty fabrics paralyze you... sometimes it is hard to decide exactly what to do. Well, first things first - pick a pattern, pick colors, start cutting. I was in no mood to do the 1st two things on that list, but I am in the mood to do some mindless chain sewing, so that forced me into action...

I went with mostly reds, a few oranges, a few pinks... when undecided about what to do - I repeat a favorite pattern. So - here is the beginnings of another Ocean Waves, not green this time, but red. Monochromatic scrappy - I love that look! It is easy too - no agonizing decisions about color choices - just grab a handful of 1 color family and make sure there are some "zingers" - a bit of contrast. I almost left out 2 of them, but decided they would really add a bit of fun to the quilt, so slice, slice!!! And up in the top corner, a little pile of scraps to add to my collection. Can't be a scrap quilter without scraps, right?

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Quilter's Colors


Still no quilting going on, but at least I am contemplating the fabrics I have here and thinking about a new project...

So many possibilities!

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Perfect Match



I am just thrilled at how this quilt came out! Take a look at the quilting - exactly what I wanted! All those swirly leaves fill in the big open yellow space so perfectly and match the "feel" I was shooting for on this one. I know, I know - I've shown you this top before, but not all quilted and bound! Quilting by Bonnie at Quiltville. A big quilt - so I machine bound it using my favorite method - explained on Green Ocean Waves post.


Friday, March 02, 2007

Cushions



Perhaps the 1st step to recovering cushions is... don't even start thinking about how much $$$ this fabric costs per yard. The large directional print did have me a bit worried as the idea is to get as many cushions as possible with what fabric there is... so - not to waste tons of fabric matching the pattern, but fortunately, so far it is working out just fine. This huge panel of fabric (1 of the 2 rolls) was only enough for 4 large cushions... I have 3 completely done and 1 more cut out! Next I will do 4 small cushions and then see what I have left over - hopefully enough for at least 1 more big and 1 more small? 



 Obviously, more fabric will have to be purchased to make a total of the 12 cushions needed. These aren't for me - but I thought I would show you what I've been working on; sewing wise. Lots of fun stuff to report, but I've got to get back to these cushions while I am on a roll!