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Friday, October 28, 2011

Bloggers Quilt Festival: French Dreams Quilt

I have been doing some experimental quilting...scary times at the Hideaway House.

The ingredients:
  • 3 floral print night gowns found on Clearance sale at Old Navy (size XXL for more fabric). Please, tell me I am not the only one who occasionally purchases an odd clothing item for the fabric alone!
  • 1 polka dot sheet set found on Clearance sale at Target (you've seen it before and you'll be seeing it again)
  • 1 Simply Shabby curtain panel (forgot to take a before picture)
  • A Michael Miller Eiffel Tower print that was sent to me by mistake, and I was told to keep it (Bonus!)

  • A few of my on hand favorite solids (Ash, Celery and another gray)

  • One very questionable (& rough) pattern drawn up by yours truly.  Its reliability had never been proven, hence all of the pre-stated ugly step-sister fabric selections.  In other words, I didn't want to risk the good stuff (me, of so little faith!)

Mix them all together...

The result, although not perfect, is better than expected for an experiment!



Next time I try this pattern, I might even risk the good stuff.
Although, I must admit, these motley fabrics are kind of growing on me.

The name, French Dreams, is in honor of its nightie origins, with a little dash of Eiffel thrown in the mix. :)

Ooh La La.


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Vintage Baby


I have a new little niece.
She came into the world early Sunday morning while the rest of us were still dreaming.
It has been a while since I have held an infant in my arms - I can't wait to meet her.
We are so happy for my brother & sister-in-law and their growing little family.

  
I used some of my favorite, vibrant, vintage sheets to make this little quilt for her.
 I wish I knew more people expecting babies - quilts this size are a pleasure to make.




A bright and happy quilt for a little soul who has already brought happiness to so many.
Welcome to the world Ginny Kay!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Lone Star


Last week I managed to cross another UFO off the list. The Lone Star is quilted, bound, washed and smelling heavenly.  Pulling a crinkly new quilt out of the dryer is my favorite moment in the quilting process.

I used a mix of fabrics - mostly of the French General variety and a couple from JoAnn's, including a Denyse Schmidt (yellow). The back is from a cotton sheet set I found on clearance at Target...you'll be seeing more of it soon.




The quilting is a bit random in places (made it up as I went along), but I love how it looks on the back  - like a giant, lime green, polka dot snowflake.
.

Now, let me tell you the story of how this little lone star came to be...


Last month, my cyber friend, Des, invited me to a quilt retreat with this group of talented (and hilarious!) ladies, none of whom I had ever met in real life. I only knew her from the internet. Scary, huh?! I had a complete out of character moment and decided to be brave and go.  Shocking.  I can be a bit anti-social, so this was a big step for me.

(view from the back porch)

The retreat house was in the middle of Idaho farm country with no neighbors in sight.  It was beautiful...until I had to drive down the dirt road and park in the pitch black of night to get cell phone coverage, then it was just plain spooky. Country dark is a whole lot darker than suburban dark. I couldn't see a thing.

There were a lot of lone star quilts and triangle star quilts in the works, so I jumped on the bandwagon.  I rarely use patterns, so following detailed directions was a little tricky for me.  Fortunately, Kathy was there to help me navigate - she is a lone star super-hero.

 I bet this front porch never looked so good!
They were definitely not lonely stars.

My Soul Blossoms quilt found a Soul Blossoms friend.  I guess you could say they are soul mates.
(both made from jelly rolls!)


Amazingly, these quilts look even better up close. These ladies know how to work a long arm!


I had such great time!


Branching out of my stubborn comfort zone to meet new people and make new things was a good thing.
The food was good too!
And the neighborhood...

Pretty cool - as long as it was light outside.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Something Shabby

One of these quilts is not like the others.
One of these quilts just doesn't belong...


It has texture:  chenille, soft corduroy, linen and minky.

Rounded corners.

Ruffled edges instead of a traditional binding.

And all hand quilting. 

This weekend I raided my stash of ultra feminine fabrics to make my youngest daughter a little throw quilt to go on top of her bed.
 Her room decor is shabby chic so I wanted something to compliment that look. 

Not my usual style, but her style.


 My boys are saying I never make anything for them. 
Maybe next time it will be something their style.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Catching Fire


We went for a drive this morning up one of the nearby canyons - something I have been anxiously looking forward to all week. I packed up my nice camera to capture autumnal glory in high resolution, only to find I had left the memory card at home. Such a typical Natalie moment. Luckily I had my little pocket camera in my bag.  Not the digital quality I was hoping for, but beautiful nonetheless.  Color like this is awe inspiring, even when the clarity is less than perfect. 






The experts have said local mountain fall foliage is at its apex right now, and I concur - the color is amazing. However, snow in the higher elevations is coming later this week - hard to believe when we are still experiencing temps in the 80's.  If you live around here (Utah), you better go quickly. By the time autumn really hits the valleys, the canyons are done, and this is one show you don't want to miss!



"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."

~ Emily Bronte