Anyone Can Quilt

What a month!!

Here's the run down:  Bunny got sick.  I got sick.  Bunny on antibiotics.  Me on antibiotics.  Giving bunny antibiotics a challenge.  Bunny gets antibiotics dribbled down chin every time.  Bunny excessively licks chin.  Bunny has hairless chin. 

After a bit bunny and I were both feeling much better from our illnesses.  Then for me the daily headaches start.  Bunny's chin hair grows back.  Bummer, that naked chin cracked me up. 

Finally last week I was feeling back to normal, and just in time for the fall quilt retreat!  Mom and I went last year and had a BLAST.  This year we had a wonderful time as well.  I love getting to spend time with my mom.  We enjoyed sewing and visiting from Thursday through Sunday.  Not a meal to prepare, not a dish to clean.  Heavenly. 

I didn't take too many pictures of the retreat.  I wasn't in the picture taking mood.  Shocking I know!  That is not like me.  At all.  But I fell so in love with this quilt by the fabulous Renee, I had to lug out the camera.

You are awesome Renee!  I can't tell you how many wonderful people come to this retreat.  I was so great to catch up with friends that we met last year at the retreat.  And so equally great to meet so many more new friends.  I can't wait to see you all next year! 

I finished quilting a quilt (pics soon!) and put together a simple quilt top for Little Sis.  She chose every single fabric for her quilt. 

Now I've been slapping charm squares up on the design wall for Big Sis.  I hope to decide on a final design and start peicing this soon!

I was so excited to find this Halloween Fabric!  It made adorable pillowcases.

I'm also excited about the color of my hydrangeas.  I love the faded purple/green/gray they have become.   

Oh!  I came home from retreat with some new fabric.  We stopped at a great quilt shop that had a nice coupon for all of us retreat people. Isn't this a cute stack!?

Ok, now it's time for me to get sewing on Little Sis's Halloween costume.  She's got bell bottoms on order from mom's sweat shop. 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!   xoxo

 

A good night.

The soft light from vintage lamps in my sewing room.

The humming of the sewing machine.

Random music playing from my iPod.  Seriously random, we have Edith Piaf, Bon Jovi and Rick Springfield among others.  Who can resist a little "Jessie's girl" I ask you?

Precious Rosie dreaming her puppy dreams.

Laverne is sitting with her Tupperware bowl.  Is she feeling nauseous?  I hope not.  This teeny Tupperware bowl is from my mom's Tupperware days.  It rocks.

Everything is cast in golden light.

Do you sew at night too?   x

Are you sick of this one yet? Wait, don't answer that...

I've been working on Toulouse for a loooong time as you may know.  It's been hanging on my design wall in various stages.  I'm happy to say that I've given myself a swift kick in the tush to get this done.  I do love this quilt.  It reminds me of Pride and Prejudice.  The colors in this quilt remind me of the beautiful colors in the movie, the dresses, the bedding, the home interiors.  So, I've got the rows all sewn together.  And these are almost finished, I just need to trim them up a little.

There is a flying geese border that goes all the way around. 

To get myself in the mood to be creative, I cleaned up the sewing room a bit.  It's feeling more fresh and springlike now, wait, summerlike?  Is it summer already?  I love organizing with old jars.

And with new jars too.  I love the Bonne Mamman jam jars.  Their little red and white check cap is sweet, and I love their shape.  I need to buy more jam, I think I need a whole window sill of these.

Do you think I could shove any more fabric in here?

I'm thinkin' I could. 

 

Cleaning up always inspires me to start on new projects.  These look like the beginnings of a lovely summer quilt.  And check out these little sweeties.  

I love these tiny prints, they look to me like they belong in an old farmhouse kitchen.

Speaking of tiny, I've been making little doll dresses.  This one was for Little Sis's 10th birthday.  My baby just turned 10. 

For her birthday this year, she didn't want a regular cake.  She wanted Domo brownies.  Domo is a crazy little brown creature.  So Domo brownies it was!

We had so much fun decorating these little monsters together!

Here's the more 'proper' cupcake that her sweet grandma brought by. 

And yes, I'm the type of mother who would snatch a cupcake out of her baby's hand so I could take 100 pictures of it.  Well, maybe not quite 100...

Thanks for checking in with me today, have a wonderful week!  I'm going to spend some time soon catching up on emails and comments, blog visiting too.  I love seeing what you've all been up to! x

For my favorite one year old on the planet.

Bound, washed, puckered and ready for Mr. Monkey baby himself.  I have four nephews, each one is a monkey boy, and each one has a special quilt from Aunt Sarah.  

I love how the wavy quilting turned out!

Apparently, sock monkeys know how to par-tay. 

They're waving at us!  Hi monkeys!

This little quilt was so fun to make.  I love patterns like this that are simple and quick, but that also have interest and movement.  Scrappy quilts are always my favorites.  I'm thinking a girly version of this little fella is next, with vintage sheets perhaps?  I may even use my brain and write a pattern.  Happy weekend friends! x

Quilting waves.

There's been some quilting going on in these parts!  And spray basting in the kitchen.  Cause I'm bad like that.  (Machine Quilting 101 here)

There are also sock monkeys surfing and floating on rafts.  Awesome.

Next it's on to the sewing room to get going on the quilting.  I might mention that my sewing room is messy.  Beyond messy.  It's really quite embarrassing.  But I'll show you anyway because I know you won't shake your head at me.  And I'd like to show you my Mother's Day present. 

Try to hold down your lunch.  I know stuff everywhere.  And I haven't even shown you what's on the floor (yikes).  But look at my little tv!  We're going to hang it on the wall where that picture is hanging.  It's little and cute and plays dvd's too! 

Since I had to show you something unfortunate, in the form of an unsightly sewing room, here's something cute, and let's face it, weird.  You'd say so too if you met him.

 

If I ever need to cleanse my brain from something unfortunate, all I have to do is look at fluffy kitty paws.

Now back to our regular programming.

The other side of the mess where I sit to quilt.  For my baby nephew's quilt I decided to switch up the quilting a little.  I usually do my regular meandering, which I really like, but it was fun to do something a little different. 

I thought waves might be fun to go with the swimming monkeys.  I found a wavy stitch on my sewing machine, stitch #719 to be exact, and then  s t r e t c h e d  it out. 

I got this little fella quilted while I watched The Holiday on my new tv.  A little Jude Law while sewing never hurt anybody, aaaand I really love this movie just for the little English cottage that Iris lives in.  It's so cute I can't stand it. 

Now it is on to the binding.  I'll share some pictures when it's bound and washed and ready for baby snuggles.  Thanks for stopping by!  x