New Projects

I have been very SLOWLY cutting out all the pieces for a pineapple quilt since I finished my last project.  I have been wanting to make a pineapple quilt for as long as I can remember, and Mom bought me the ruler I would need, ages ago, so I jumped in!

This is my guideline...a gorgeous pineapple design in various reds and greens, and a little blue.

I decided instead to make mine in pinks, purples and greens with a little beige and rosy beige. As I cut each size out in each color scheme, I am placing them in ziplock bags so I can "keep it all straight."

Here are the pinks that I haven't cut yet.  My inspiration fabric for the quilt is the rose print.

And this is the other thing I am working on!  Mom and I got matching panels to be embroidered, but after she worked on hers a while, she decided to give it to me to finish.  I am planning on using it as the center panel for a red, yellow and blue quilt!  The embroidery work is so relaxing while I watch TV or am with my grandson while he plays video games.

This is a bigger view of the whole panel.  It has an oval wreath of various flowers. Most of the work you see here was done by Mom.  I haven't been working long on the panel myself.

Placemats for The Liver Foundation Event!

For part of the Fundraiser for the Liver Foundation people were able to bid on a dinner with a local restaurant/chef in Tucson.  Our son-in-law who is the chef at Union

 had 16 special dinners to prepare last night!  Union Public House serves American comfort foods so SIL Jack wanted the guests to not only have a meal featuring special American dishes from all regions and a goodie bag of delights (including daughter Yvonne's gingersnaps and home-made S'mores) but to eat their meal on an Americana placemat....and that's where I came in! :-)  I was given the task to make these placemats for the restaurant, which was a privilege  and delight, and a LOT of hard work for a week and a half.  But, I got them done, just under the wire! I have no idea why most of these printed sideways!

One of two I did with frayed seams.

The second with frayed seams.

T-shirt comforter

This is the T-shirt quilt I just finished (my first completed project on my new machine!)  I really gave the Viking a workout, too!  Not only is this T-shirt material, it is also pieced and backed with flannel.  It slipped a lot even though I basted it in place, and I had some trouble binding it as a result.  I also made some mistakes with this first T-shirt effort that became a learning experience!  But, overall, I think it turned out pretty good.  It not only covers most of the T's and sweatshirts my daughter wore (a couple of them made by her grandmother) but I quilted it with remembrances from her childhood, like a viola, a pair of pointe shoes, her cat and dog, etc.  There was no way I could try to free motion quilt these difficult designs because I was quilting the comforter with a stretchy stitch, so I did a LOT of turning! :-)  But it was worth it.  It's cozy and soft and warm....and really fun.  Here are a few pictures:

The range of shirts goes from military campaigns (her Dad was in the Air Force) to ballet and school shirts, to a couple sent to her by her aunt who was modeling then.  I realized too late I should have tried to cut them all at least two basic sizes....the puzzle effect of all the different sizes was hard to deal with.

A close up of a few...an exercise bear her grandmother did with fabric paints was one.  Her summer program with Joffrey was another.

I added the heart to a blank square.  Her grandmother made the snowman.  She was first chair viola at her school.

A view of some of the quilting...this is the viola.

And this is a pair of pointe shoes.  Our daughter danced for 14 years.

It's Paid For!!!!

YAY!  I picked up my new Husvarna Viking Sapphire machine after being without a working machine for over three months!  I then took a class the next day to learn how to use it, and BOY is it wonderful!!!!  I just want to sew and SEW!

I LOVE this plexiglas sewing area extender, which was extra...but so worth it!  I had been looking for a machine with a deep "throat" so I can quilt easily.  This one is perfect!

And it does EVERYTHING!  It adjusts itself automatically to whatever you are doing, all you have to do is push the buttons!

It does all kinds of stitches, and never has to be oiled(by the owner).  It even picks up the bobbin thread automatically from the bobbin case when you start to sew!

Here's the T-shirt quilt I have laid out on the bed ready to sew together.  It's most of our daughter's childhood T's.....she was a dancer, was first chair violist in the school string orchestra,  even modeled briefly when she was very young (her aunt was a model with elite management in NY) and her Daddy was in the Air Force so you see an interesting mix here! :-)  I can't wait to get it all sewn together!  I used two-way stretch stabilizer to back the T-shirt pieces because I am backing the quilt with a piece of  pink stretchy flannel.

Arizona Centennial Quilts

A recent visit to the Arizona History Museum in Tucson gave me a chance to enjoy the wonderful Centennial Celebration quilts....(click on the photos to get a closer look!)

I really love the different aspects of Arizona represented in this one!

This is an agave quilt....to learn more about agave, and see my recent post on A Colorful World of one blooming, click HERE (also do you see the rattlesnake?)

Different ranching brands...I thought this was interesting

A great Arizona wall-hanging...it includes Kitt Peak Observatory and the Butterfield Stage Lines!

Wonderful!

This quilt uses Sunbonnet Sue in AZ scenes! 

A closeup of one of the squares in the Sunbonnet Sue quilt....

and another.

Lovely cactus quilt....

and another with a 3-D element!

closeup of above

Stunning landscape includes Casa Grande....

Indian Basket Designs

I didn't get a good angle on this one...it's really wonderful!

Watermelon Kachina

Arizona birds

Another stunner with a 3-D element

My grandson loved this one.  I decided even though it isn't my favorite AZ subject it is a wonderful quilt!