On My Work Table

I've been working on this little illustration for the last two nights. It's almost finished & I hope to share it with you tomorrow. It's the last card for Simply Sweet Marriage. I really wanted this card to look like something you would find in your grandmothers trunk amongst old papers and photos. It will say "Happy Anniversary" when finished. I like how it's turning out.

A month or two ago I found this vintage Star Wars sheet. I almost passed it up but knew if I did I'd kick myself for not buying it. So I forked out the $1.75, steep, I know ;) & brought it home. I figured I'd find something to do with it eventually.

Boy did I ever! I can't even tell you how excited I am to finally have an excuse to buy Star Wars things now that I have a little boy. I decided to make him his very own Star Wars quilt. Shouldn't every little boy have one? I purchased the gold fabric at Joanns, the funky retro pattern from an online store that was going out of business, & the very last print from an amazing local quilting store. I also purchased a grey solid fabric that I will be using also but it's not pictured. The fabric will be used on the front of the quilt & the sheet will become the backing for the quilt. 

This is what I have in mind for the front. I've never tried a quilt like this before. I want it to have that chevron pattern look. I think it will fit very well with the vintage look of the sheet. I am pretty much learning to quilt as I go. I kinda guess at how things work when it comes to quilting. I look at the pattern of a quilt as I do art. Then I dissect what I see & try to figure out how it works. What I have guessed is that I should probably sew the strips in a row & then cut them at the angle I need. I could be wrong but I really am hoping that this is actually how it's all done. It could prove to be a very disastrous quilting mess. We shall see.

Speaking of disastrous messes........Someone needs to clean their art area. In my defense, once that pile of fabric finds a home it won't look quite so horrible, right? Right? (insert nervous giggle here)

Thimble Summer Quilt Top

I had never even heard of a tumbler quilt until a couple months ago. I loved how simple and charming they all looked. Like little cups stacked in neat rows. I had purchased Moda's Punctuation charm pack so that I could add it to the American Jane charm pack I had bought a couple years back. Sadly I still haven't found my box of unfinished sewing projects. In that box is the fabric I've been trying to find to no avail. I decided to go ahead and start the quilt anyway. 

I have always had such a love and curiosity for "old things". I love all things retro and my home is filled with many vintage things from days gone by. There is something magical in owning things from the past. They have a story to tell. A history to share of simpler times. Even though this is a new quilt I love it's vintage feel. I have been reading a lot of quilting books lately & I love how each quilt has a story behind it. So I starting thinking, what is this quilts story?

Last year I read this book with my oldest daughter & fell in love with the sweet story about the adventures of a little girl named Garnet. She is spunky and has a great imagination. Although the story is a work of fiction I am guessing it pulled from real life in the 1930's. At one point in the book it tells about Garnet's adventure to the city all by herself. She kind of ran off without anyone noticing. On her way home she hitchhiked with all sorts of colorful characters. Something a child would hopefully never do in this day & age. Back then it was not a scary thing to do at all.

Although it's been a little over a year since I've read Thimble Summer I thought of it constantly while I worked on this quilt top.

So I present to you my "Thimble Summer" quilt. Sorry it's not the greatest picture. The wind was blowing like crazy today. I was in a panic the whole time it hung in those branches. It might be hard to see but there was a whole patch of mud right below. I kept waiting for it to fall into that mushy pile of mud. I have big plans for this quilt. I'm going to reread the story this week & then sketch out the back of the quilt. I'm thinking a fun little silhouette of Garnet & some of the key parts of her sweet story would be a perfect way to finish off the quilt. 

This is my first official quilt top too. I'd love to hear some constructive criticism or words of advice. I'm all ears. I have so much to learn when it comes to quilting but I'm loving every minute of it.

And So It Begins........

 What the heck?

Is around my neck!!!

Poor little guy doesn't stand a chance with three older sisters.

 He's their real live doll. I think the scarf sort of makes him look like the Red Baron. At least it wasn't a dress, yet ;)

My Work Table/Work Floor

Is full of this.....

& a whole lotta this.

I quilted all evening yesterday. My dear friend Kirsten was kind enough to join in my escapades to the local fabric shop & even bought me a new cutting mat & clear cutting ruler. She offered to buy them if I could make something for her daughter in the next couple weeks. I jumped at the chance. She was a little overwhelmed by the fabric store, me a kid in a candy store. Last night when I was cutting out all my awkward looking cup shapes I kept sending out a silent thank you to my sweet friend. My old warped cutting mat & a piece of cardboard for an edge just wasn't cutting it anymore. I'm not joking about the cardboard. It was super sad. I zipped through a whole pile of squares in a matter of minutes with my new tools. 

I worked on the quilt top until the wee hours of the morning, almost finished, I heard a cry. It was my little Oblio. Poor little man had a very high fever & was breathing fast. I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish up until the morning. I've spent the better part of today helping out my little guy & taking a much needed nap. He's doing better right now. We'll see what the night brings.

I should be able to sew the last 4 rows together once the kids go to bed & then I'll be working on a paper illustration. It feels so good to be working on projects that I love. No more hiding behind a pile of "to do" I'm getting things done!

Sewing Summit

Have I mentioned that I'm going to this?

Well I am.

You can find out more about it

::here::