Finished bedroom

This project began with a vision in the summer of 2003. Laurel had just moved to Chapel Hill, and I stopped in at a fabric store and purchased yardage to make a king sized quilt. I had no idea what design I would use, I just knew I wanted it in shades of blue/green. Over the years I collected fabrics and skills, and began the process of making the quilt about a year and a half ago. After the top was pieced, I cut stencils for the gingko leaves, painted them with Shiva paint sticks. I used a very similar technique to this video.

Then I began the process of quilting a king size quilt on my home machine. I auditioned a lot of threads, but eventually chose a fluorescent lime green. Sounds weird, but it turned out beautifully.

I finished the quilt several months ago, but still needed to make the bed skirt and pillows to complete the ensemble.

It’s done!

Finished!

Before we went to Israel, I cleaned out my studio and set aside some projects to finish or discard after our return. Today is the first concentrated time I have had since our return, and I got a lot done. One of my accomplishments was finishing the binding on this paper stitch project I made many years ago. The daylily parts were from a Phil Beaver workshop I took in French Lick, Indiana about six years ago. We learned how to paint the fabric and I cut out the petals and shaded them. For three years I just had the parts of the daylily. Three years later when my fiber arts group issued a monthly challenge for quilt in a complementary color scheme, I made the stitch paper background and fused the petals to the background. I quilted it, but never bound it. Today, I finished it! It is ready to hang.

Sock Monkey Baby Quilt

Several years ago I found this fabric collection in a quilt store in Boonville, Indiana. My quilting group at church liked it too, so we ordered bolts of it and divided it among ourselves. I have made at least six of them, and I still have enough for two or three more quilts. Whenever I start working on one of these sock monkey quilts for a baby, I get the urge to start singing, to the tune of "Matchmaker" from Hello Dolly. "Sock Monkey, Sock Monkey, make me a quilt, make it so strong, sturdily built...." It is a sturdy quilt ready to take outside for a picnic, throw over funiture to make a tent, wash and dry again and again, and eventually be used to wrap furniture when the youngster grows up and moves out.

I've need to get this in the mail tomorrow for the Manley Bambino.

Pet Quilts

I don’t know when I started doing this, but I make a small sample quilt whenever I get ready to quilt a bed size quilt. I use fabric scraps and put it together randomly just so I have most of the fabrics I have used. I make a quilt sandwich it just like the big one using the same batting and backing. I then use this sample quilt to try out quilting motifs and thread colors. I also use it to check thread tension and quilt on it for a minute or two after I have oiled my machine so I don’t get oil on my large quilt. It is never a masterpiece, just a practice piece. After I have quilted it, I serge the edges. Then it is ready to give to the recipient for their pet. If they don’t have a pet, I give it to my daughter who works at a cat shelter.

Don’t tell the bride, this is a the pet quilt for the quilt I have been working on since last January. The couple married in April. I hope I’ll have it completed by cold weather.