On to Something New

After finishing my bags I got busy on my orange challenge for the Modern Quilt Guild due last week. It needed to be a finished project so I made a doll size quilt using 1 1/2"  Thangles. I love using Thangles because you can sew with your brain in the off position and it still turns out! 

Why is this photo not straight you ask? My sewing rooms are so trashed I could hardly make it to my design wall. I feel lucky to get this post out.

Orange Challenge MQG  June 2012

I picked up a new baby kitty last week from a parking lot and took it home, much to my husbands dismay. It has been living in our bedroom since we have two other cats. I will be taking her to my Dad's house as he is in the market for a kitty and she is a sweetie. I thought it was a Ragdoll but with further research I found out she is a Turkish Van. Loves water and her coat is like an angora rabbit. 

June 2012

I have been trying to get some sewing done but with a baby kitty in my sewing room little gets accomplished. 

I have been working on my many baby quilts I need to get finished. Two babies are here already and three to go, well four if you count my son's friends baby. I am very excited about the little girl twins due next door as they are going to need some help. Even though the husbands Mom is coming for three months I hope to be able to pitch in to help.

It is July already. I have so many sewing projects on my list. Until next time, sew often and sew happy!

Extreme Weekend!

What an extreme weekend it was. The Sin City Mini Club did an amazing job at organizing AMVIV 9, the annual Mini car club event. It was such fun to see club members I hadn't seen in a long time and to meet lots of new people I look forward to seeing next year. Here are a few of the people that bought my bags. Unfortunately my camera battery died and in my overheated, exhausted state I forgot to recharge it.  

 June 2012

Check out the purse she is carrying. It is really cool. That guy really did buy those two bags. The colorful bag on the right looks like roads that Mini's love to travel on. Hard to tell in that photo though.

Winston @ AMVIV  June 2012

I think his name is Winston and he was a barrel of energy at a year old. Loved being the center of attention and if Mom would have let him I think he would have stayed all day. 

AMVIV 9 June 2012

What would a Las Vegas trade show be without showgirls? Not a Las Vegas trade show! As members of the club they wanted to do their part, and what a great addition they were.

Miss Kitty Kaboot is a member doing her part. This was her pre-show outfit. She sang at the pool party and was a huge success. She really does have a great voice and so hot in her long pink dress! Check out more photos of AMVIV  if you are on Facebook. Don't miss the video on my Facebook. 

A special thanks to Husband for taking his garage swamp cooler to the show to keep us cool. Yes, the show was outside and the highest temperature was 110 on Saturday when I left. That's what it said the outside temp was and it was in the shade! He hauled lots of 5 gallon buckets of water to keep that thing filled. Thanks.

It was a great event but the thought of sewing in the air conditioning is very appealing to me!

Until next time...happy sewing! 

MQG Journal Swap

It was journal swap night at the MQG meeting. I received a really, really cool one. We supplied an 'inspiration' fabric and they added however much of whatever fabric they wanted. I love it!

Journal Swap MQG May 2012

The fabric I gave her was the top one. I love what she did with it.

Here is the front of the one I gave. My design was inspired last month when the big meteor dropped from outer space and landed somewhere in the world with a big boom. 

MQG Journal Swap  May 2012

I used raw edge circles and King Tut variegated quilting cotton to make my circles look like they are exploding! 

Journal detail

This was a really fun project and the journals that were products of this swap were amazing. Will send a link as soon as our guild gets their photos up. 

The orange challenge, hmmm....

Bags, Bags and More Bags

I have been working hard for the past month making duffle bags out of Mini Cooper fabric to sell at the yearly gathering. Supporting a daily sewing habit can be expensive with the price of fabric going up like everything else. The event is June 14 so maybe I will be able to move on to something different after that.

Finished bags May 2012

Three finished. Not counting the ones that are already in to their new homes.

Bags needing grommets May 2012

There are about 10 more in progress that aren't yet to the grommet stage. Two of these sold after I took the picture! They are all one of a kind as I will not use the same accent fabric twice. Last night I gathered about 8 more fabrics for additional bags. 


I'm so lucky to have a dear friend helping me as I would not be this far in my adventure. We meet at one of our local shops so we can spread out on to the classroom tables. The distractions at home (the cats and my good book that I'm reading) lead to not getting as much done in the same time period. 

Duffle ties yet to be installed. May 2012

As you can see I have my days work cut out for me. Better get started.

My orange challenge is still waiting for my attention. I've had lots of time to figure out what to do with all that orange!

Sneak Peek

I was so pleased with how my journal cover swap came out I thought I would show you THE BACK! I don't know if my swap partner reads my blog but if she does she can only imagine what the front looks like. I have an issue with journal covers. For every one that turns out, there is another one that was too small. Yes, I will complete the front of the first one and be searching for a book that is a little bit smaller. The last one that was too small I turned into a zipper bag here!

LVMQG Journal Cover Swap  May 2012

I found a picture of the back of the pickle dish quilt that shows the handwork detail. Unbelievable.

Pickle Dish detail

There was a note with this next quilt that said this quilt was 100 years old in 1957. It had some holes and the batting was coming out in places but it was so cool to see something that is 155 years old! It was well used by someone.

Karen's Collection

It seems my response to seeing these quilts in person is a big WOW. Thanks Karen, I look forward to seeing more.

Until next time, have a happy _____. You fill in the blank!

Oh My

On Saturday a friend brought over a few of the many quilts that have been packed away in boxes that her grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother made. This pickle dish quilt all pieced by hand just took my breath away. We forgot to measure it but it is on my 6 foot dining table with some drape all the way around. 

Pickle Dish Quilt
Karen's collection
April 2012

Detail of Pickle Dish quilt

There is a little bit at the top showing the back side of the quilt. I couldn't believe the hours of hand stitching this quilt must have taken. Someone was really stepping out of the box using these colors too. I was determined to find the pattern for this quilt, and not only did I find a pattern I found the paper piecing pattern. Now that, I can do. Not by hand though! 

Extremely old Grandma's Garden Quilt
Karen's collection  April 2012

Another in the collection I was privileged to see. I have always loved this pattern. I think I still have an enlarged version of grandma's garden quilt I started after college. In the garage, in a box, unfinished. I was sewing by hand then because I couldn't afford a sewing machine. I guess I have been doing sewing of some sort since high school. In 2003 is when I started quilting full time.

Now that I have shared these lovelies with you I must return to my binding of the charity quilts, assembling of the dufflebags and thinking about my orange challenge. I finished my journal swap last night but I can't show you until later.

More oldies to come.

Have a good rest of the week!

Orange Challenge

I have been working hard on dufflebags and now I'm waiting for my labels to come to put them together. No bag is complete without a label! Duffles everywhere.


Tonight we have our orange exchange at the Modern Quilt Guild meeting. Oh how I've been looking forward to this. There are 14, 2 1/2" strips in one yard of fabric. Each bag contains 14 strips.  Each bag will be replaced with 14 different strips from other peoples bags. If you bring 4 bags you will take home 4 bags, which is 4 yards. I have seen two of my friends bags and none of us have the same orange fabrics. What are the chances?

MQG Orange Exchange  April 2012

With all these orange strips we do what we want and present it at the June meeting.  Should be interesting.

Until next time, sew happy!