Another Lesson Learned

Today is my mom's birthday.   With her birthday so close to Mother's Day, it makes this time of year especially difficult.  She died seven years ago.  I miss her so much everyday.  She was my best friend.  I am lucky, though, that I have some special ladies in my life that I consider like mothers to me.  I made the red Friendship Star/Disappearing Nine Patch table topper for one of those ladies.  I made another quilted topper for another.  I used the fat quarters I won from Annie's Ruby Slipperz.

My Aunt Pat loves bunnies and her home is decorated with very light pastels and romantic flowers.  These fabrics were perfect!  The topper I made measures 18" X 18" (finished).

Post Washed

The bunny image had printed so beautifully onto my fabric, but when I washed it, it almost disappeared completely! I could have cried.  I scrambled researching how I could fix it.  In the end, however, I decided the faded image just made the piece look more authentically vintage.

Pre-Washed

Pinwheels were a first here and I think they turned out pretty nice.  I also think the fabric is fabulous...love it!

I've learned a lot during my brief quilting journey.  The lesson here:  Make your fabric color fast BEFORE printing on it!  This only applies if you are printing directly onto regular fabric using freezer paper and you are going to wash your quilt.  (You might not feel it necessary to wash a wall hanging; like my Octopus Wall Hanging).  I believe if you use products designed for transferring images, that fabric is already treated.  I've done computer research and I have discovered that if you use something called Bubble Jet Set, you can use your own fabric and the freezer paper method.  I'm off to find that product and will give it a try!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there and all those "like" moms, too!  And Happy Birthday Mom.  

Tootles!

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A Birthday Quilt

In my last post I told you I celebrated ( celebrated may be a stretch) my birthday a couple of weeks ago.  While I haven't really been struggling with this birthday, I have reflected on being older and how I have experienced a few of the perks of being of a certain age now.  For example, I got a new knee this year.  Also, a few days after my birthday, I got one of those "age" moles removed.  Pleasant thought, I know.  Well, yesterday, as I was sitting in my house which was a balmy 85 degrees, drinking a cup of coffee, I realized this:  yes, I am indeed old.  Only old people drink coffee when it is super hot right?!  As I sat there sweating, I began to laugh at myself.  Another sign?  Laughing did make me feel a bit better.  I really felt better, however, when the repairman finally arrived and fixed the air conditioning! 

Another thing that made me feel better was that I finished the quilt for my sister.  Her birthday is Sunday when, once again, she will be older than me!  I started this quilt after finishing the Friendship Star - Disappearing Nine Patch table topper I made for a Mother's Day gift.  I selected the fabrics completely myself.  This is the hardest part for me!  I think I know colors, but deciding if patterns coordinate is difficult. I picked the focus fabric first and then picked out a dark, a light, and then two neutrals.  

I'm not sure what the block is called.  I saw it first at Red Pepper Quilts.  Rita called her quilt the Lifesaver.  Basically, it is a nine patch using two fabrics and half square triangles at each corner.  It was pretty easy and fun to make!

I quilted it with straight lines that run diagonally across the quilt.  The lines intersect in the center of each block center.  I folded the backing fabric to the front for the binding.  This time I "mitered" the corners.

Sissy's Quilt
58" X 58"

Happy Birthday to my big sister!

One last thing...I won five fat quarters playing Mystery Mondays at Annie's Ruby Slipperz!  The parcel arrived yesterday and can't tell you how excited I am to start my next project with the fabric!  They are absolutely gorgeous!

  

Thanks again Annie!

Tootles!

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(Friendship) Star Trek

Isn't she gorgeous?  What do you think I should name her?  She is a Trek Pure.  A pure cruising pleasure!  A bit over the top cheesy?  Okay.  Well, this bike was my birthday present from my hubby and I adore her!  I had so much fun biking when we were on vacation that I decided to get a bike of my own!  I've got a rack on the back and I plan on putting a basket on the front.  Remember putting playing cards on the spokes when you were a kid?  I won't go that far, but will accessorize her for sure!

Oh yeah, it was my birthday last week.  I spent it, and the weekend, working on a few sewing projects.  One being a birthday present for my sister.  Her's is coming up in May.  Until then, we are the same age!  Pretty cool huh?  Anyway, I've been piecing blocks for a quilt for her and I also made a table topper for a Mother's Day present for my other mother in England.  I used all fat quarters for this project.  It measures about 35" X 35."  

The middle block is a friendship star.  The other 8 blocks are Disappearing 9 Patches.  I discovered this block while surfing the internet for ideas.  I found a great step by step guide to creating this block at Cluck Cluck Sew.  Basically, just make a nine patch block then cut it in half vertically and horizontally.

Now you have four patches.  Rearrange your squares however you like.  The combinations are endless.

Next, just sew it back together.  This works.  Right?

Arrange all your blocks however you'd like!  I love that it looks a lot more complicated than it is!

I pieced the the back of the table topper, too.  I also used the technique of folding over the back fabric to the front to bind it.

My quilt lines are pretty visible in these pictures.  Oops, and some of them are a little wobbly!  Hey, I'm still a beginner!

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes and gifts...you know who you are!

Tootles! 

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