How I Spent My Long Holiday Weekend!

I couldn't figure out how to put more than one picture in a post, and have them end up in different parts of the text, so here's part two!

This was an experiment to see if I could do words in bricks, and make a complete piece, rather than just a lot of random letters and words. The quilt will probably be hung in my office. I work for a non profit agency that serves senior citizens -I'm part of our arts program. This is one of my favorite quotes about aging, and I thought it would make a fun, upbeat piece for people to see when they come by our offices to see a social worker, or discuss our programs.

I LOVE how it turned out - even though I am still sort of feeling my way around the heights and spacing of the letters. My favorite part was figuring out how to do the apostrophes!

I'm not sure the border on the bottom is going to stay, or whether I'll do another one. I know I don't want to border it all around, the binding will take the place of borders on the sides.

Now some other work is intervening, so I won't have time to do much in the next couple weeks, but I am really fired up to do more. Thanks to Tonya, for freeing me from my quilting funk!

Fun, fun, fun!

Hi all - this is my first post here on this blog, so be patient with me! I have been dabbling with the unruly letters since I got the book in December, and finally have a few pieces to show for it. I am having the best time!

I have long been a fan of liberated quilts, string quilts, and other fun outside-the-box stuff, but recently I found I was sewing less and less, and zoning out in front of the TV more and more. This definitely has my quilt making juices flowing once again! I have even been sewing in the morning before work, and late in the evening, and it's been a while since I felt that psyched about any project!

This is the first piece I did, once I decided to jump in -- an alphabet sampler. I did exactly what Tonya says not to do, I worked through the whole alphabet starting with A. Now that it's done, there are definitely things I would change, but my original plan was to use whatever I sewed and then see what I came up with. I can sort of see where I finally hit my stride(somewhere around"m") !

In the next post, I'll show you what I did over the long holiday weekend!

Story Time Quilt

I just had to try piecing letters for a story time, drag around quilt.
Originally, I was going to piece stacked strips of fabrics to look like stacked books, but then I found a book I wanted to give with the quilt.

It's a story about a toy dog that gets lost in the folds of a quilt. I decided to use squares with a story time theme and added a square with a little blue dog like was in the story. I covered it with a flap of fabric..it's the one with pink dots below the question mark.

My letters aren't perfect, but I think they're OK for a play quilt?

BAH!!

haha!  I LOVE Tonya's BAH HUMBUG QUILT! I had to make a BAH!... 

I think I might start using

that word... BAH!  darn bobbin running out....

BAH! where did I leave my seam ripper! 

BAH!  I stuck myself with a pin, again!

hehehe... very fun...

Yay, I Finished! Business in the Front, Party in the Back!!!

I'm so excited that I have finished my first "wordy" quilt ever!! It took a little playing to get it all together and quite a bit of improvisation! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

I was going to make two house blocks for the front of the quilt - one of my friends house and one of mine because they are reversed colors--hers in white with purple trim and mine is purple with white trim....but alas I didn't have time. Her house became the focal point of the back of the quilt. I found a great Birthday fabric and a cupcake fabric that I just had to incorporate into the quilt because it's her 40th! I didn't want it screaming Birthday on the front but I was happy with it screaming on the back!! Ha...business in the front, party in the back....reminds me of my husband's hair in the 80's!!!!!

Happy 40th Birthday to my dearest friend, Cyndi!!

Ahhh....dreaming of spring!! Have a lovely day everyone!!

You asked for red background?

Well, it just so happens I have this on my design wall.  Awaiting the rest of the letters and an explanation point.  It will probably be a bit to large, but I will still try and get the rest of the letters completed and off to you soon.  Just in case they might fit in somewhere along the way.

 

 I am so happy to hear that you are recovering well and I wish you best of luck with everything.  I am certain that you will be dancing around with hubby & Pokey very soon! 

First words!

Here are the very first 2 word blocks I made (the humbug came first). They are very basic and I don't know if you can use them, Tonya, but I sent them to you anyway! (Perhaps you can put them on the back!)  :)  I should have read everything here before I made the blocks as I took things very literally (note the bug fabric). I am loving the other blocks posted here and love seeing the creativity!

Letters of Friendship

I've been dying to show this, but I couldn't as it was sent to Tonya with my Bah Humbug letters and she's only just received them.

I've called it Letters of Friendship.

Just a little something to thank her for all that she's done!

Humbug!

Sorry. I know Tonya wanted Christmas humbug blocks with bugs on, but I couldn't get past my original idea of mint humbugs, the stripey sweets, so that is what I've done!



I used some lovely gold starry fabric for the background, and black and white stripes for the letters and I'm quite pleased with it. I put an extra strip on the top, so it can be cut down to size later.
If you can't use it in the quilt, Tonya, I'm happy for it to be on the back or in another quilt, but I had such fun making it I couldn't stop!