The Lizard King

I spent last night with Duran Duran in my own private Friday Night Sew In.  I finished all the machine sewing on the lizard.  Today is Scrappy Saturday so, after girl scouts  I did the hand sewing and binding.  I'm not sure if I am adding beads for rocks.  I'm afraid it may be too much.

Here's a closeup.

This will be another AAQI quilt.  I have really enjoyed making these.  My binding has improved so much!!  So has my free motion quilting.  Check out those rocks!

I took step by step pictures on making those little fuzzies for the flower centers.  Hopefully this week I will get that posted.  Gotta go, the garden calls.

Happy Quilting
Caren

Lizard Top

I worked on my Lizard top today.  I agreed with Cheryll that the first composition looked the best.

The tropical leaf is needle turn applique with the accents fused.  The flowers and stems are also fused.  I added little "rocks" with a paintstick.  I think I will continue the rocks into the bottom left hand corner.  I can't do any more until the paint dries.

Happy Quilting
Caren

2 in one Day!

2 posts in one day WOW!

I am trying out some pieces for a new quilt.  I'm still working with green for the rainbow scrap challenge.  This time I am using this piece of fabric I sun printed 2 years ago.  I used 2 shades of green and yellow.  I placed a little plastic lizard on the fabric.  It left a nice little outline.  Then I drew around it with a black paint pen.

I have not known what  to do with this, so I just stared at it.  I think there is a leaf in the top left corner.  If there isn't one, there should be one!  So I drew off this tropical looking "fantasy" leaf.  The only thing I had near me was my daughters markers!  Then I drew off 3 pink flowers and stems.  I scattered some brown beads for rocks.  This is what I came up with...

These are just the paper patterns.  But they allow me to move everything around until I like the composition.  Something is just not right.

Or maybe this one....

I'm not sure....What do you think?  I will be adding a thread and bead spider with web and the beads for rocks.  Mr. Lizard is hiding among the leaves and flowers.  Let me think some more....

SPRING!!

I have no sewing news.  Except me and the 2 little ones have started quilting their quilts.  This could take a while!  I thought teaching them to machine quilt would be the easy part:)  Boy, was I wrong!

This weekend was Girl Scout Camp.  We had beautiful weather.  Bright blue sky's and warm weather.  We hiked, had a bonfire, sang songs, went horseback riding, attempted archery, and went swimming.  Well as much swimming as can be done in 3 inches of water:)  The only thing I don't like about camping is...the sleeping part;)  If I could just show up on Saturday and skip the bug invested creaky cabin  I would feel much better!   But I guess it is all part of the experience! 

I got these new hiking sandals for my Birthday in February.  I took them to camp with me.  They worked great....until I woke up the day after we returned.  My knees hurt so much.  I felt like an old woman creeping along, groaning with every move.  I am not that old, I'm not yet 40!  Although, other than the occasional walk and gardening, I am not athletic.  My knees still hurt today, just not as bad.  I was planning to take them to the Smokies with me on vacation.  We are planning on hiking!  I may need to rethink my footwear!

Gotta go, my joints are screaming for cream
Happy Stitching
Caren

I Took the Pledge

I have taken the pledge.   I have pledge to make enough AAQI quilts to raise $1000.



Read more: http://www.alzquilts.org/logolink.html#ixzz1Ggn4rgbf

I have my first quilt made. It is #6620 Flowers for Dora
And of course I have gotten my Guild into the act now!!! 

I've had a sick child at home all weekend.  Hopefully she will be well for school tomorrow.  This weekend I did get a little gardening done.  We planted green beans and purple hull peas.

This is a terrible picture.  But my early peas are looking very nice.
As are the tomatoes.  They are still small and they don't look like much on film! Ha ha ....Film!
Anyway, the pictures don't show the tomatoes well.

Daughter #2 has started quilting her first quilt.  We are using my machine and the walking foot.  Even with that I had difficulty explaining to a 7 year old how to hold and move the quilt!  This is going to take a while.

Happy Quilting
Caren

Scrap Saturday

I took my test this morning. I am so tired of math!  Now that its over, my life can go on as normal.

It is Scrap Saturday...and the color is GREEN.  I started this little quilt last week.  I now have the leaves made.  I layered water soluble stabilizer with tulle and fabric scraps to make leaves.  I free motion stitched the leaves.

These are the leaves I picked off of the tree.  They are ivy leaves.  My hubby keeps trying to kill the vine, but luckily he hasn't succeeded.

This is the pattern I used from the actual leaves.

My favorite leaves are the ones with very little fabric in them.  They look very light and lacy.

These are all of my leaves drying.  You can see how different they all are.

I just stitched them down the center, the central vein of the leaf.  I think it turned out really well.  My hubby likes the way it looks too!

This was taken outside.  The sun was very bright!  Photos inside seem too dark!  Now I still need a name!!!

If I have time, I will help #2 daughter cut and sew the border for her quilt.  It is also green.

Happy Quilting

Caren

Presenting the Quilt Goddess

I here by present the Quilt Goddess Caren. Supreme Quilter in charge of the night guilds AAQI project.  She can measure quilts in an instant.  Her wand magically glows when it detects copyright infringement.  Faster than a speeding Janome. Sharper than a rotary cutter.  I give you the Quilt Goddess....

Ok I might be taking the title a little too far!  But it sure is fun!

Happy Quilting
Caren

Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry can actually be a GOOD thing!  Since little bit finished the top of her quilt, #1 daughter has been wanting to finish her quilt top.  Today after school She actually sat down for 45 minutes and sewed her blocks into rows and then sewed the rows together! 

She didn't take nearly as much time arranging the blocks as her sister!  Tonight is quilt guild.  She couldn't stand to have her "little" sister show a quilt and hers not be ready!!!!

Tonight should be fun, I plan on unveiling my "Quilt Goddess" personality.

If you want to be a quilt goddess, get your group to make AAQI quilts!  Click HERE for details

Gotta go  Happy Quilting!
Caren.

Art out of Frustration!

My hubby watched the kids today so I could study.  It started out to be such a good day.  I made fresh Cranberry Muffins for breakfast.

 Not much studying got done.  I spent 4 hours in total frustration.  So I stopped!  It was either quit or bang my head against the wall.

Anyway.....I had this idea of a tree with an ivy vine growing up the trunk.  The inspiration is outside my door.  I see it everytime I sit at the table.  But I could never figure out how to do it.  This part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  There is green I promise!  Just not much of it yet.

Out of frustration I just did it.  I grabbed fabric laying around, free hand cut them and started layering them on the base fabric.  Then I covered the whole thing with dark green tulle.  I left a few wrinkles for effect.  I sew down most of the edges.

Next I placed it on top of the batting and backing, and free motion quilted it.  It's an oak tree with lots of growths and buldges.  There's even some moss and ferns growing on it.  Nice and neat wasn't part of the equation.  ( I just can't get away from math!)

For the vine I braided some scraps of yarn and tacked it down with the sewing machine.  Then I made the binding.  It all took about 2 hours!  I still need to make the leaves.  They will be appliqued later.  Now I need a name!

Maybe tommorrow will be better

Happy Quilting
Caren

A Tale of a Wand and 2 Bags!!!

Friday my Sweetie Pie was in his shop for a while.  I didn't know why.  Saturday he brought in a Wand...magic of course.  He turned this oak wand for a birthday present to our brother-in-law.  It's not your average wand.  This one is specifically for computer programmers.  It can magically fix bugs, viruses and annoying bosses or co-workers.  Inside is a strand of hair from  Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Dilbert!   My Sweetie is so funny.  Anyway, I had to make a bag to hold the wand.  If you knew my hubby, you would find this whole thing hysterical.

Today I had the reward of sewing for 1 hour.  I made a plastic bag holder.  I know doesn't sound real interesting.  But it was necessary.  We were drowning in paper bags.  So I found this pattern in a magazine.  It is basically a large rectangle with elastic at both ends and a handle.  The directions had a typo, but I figured it out.  I used my green scraps form the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Happy Quilting
Caren

Little Britches made a Quilt

Today was way too busy to study.  The house had to be cleaned and the girls needed clothes for Spring.  They have out grown everything!  We did manage to find Easter dresses and an outfit for each, for my sisters wedding.  At least I can scratch that off my list.

Daughter #2 has been begging to sew on her quilt.  She was given 1/2 a pack of 2 charm packs for Christmas and Valentines Day.  Of course she lost the set from V-Day!  Over the past 2 months she has been sewing 4 squares together to make 1 big 10 inch block.  Last night she spent 30 minutes arranging and rearranging the blocks.  We took a picture and then labeled each block.

Today Daughter #1 was going out with Daddy, So me and little britches stayed home and sewed all of her blocks together.  Her attention span is much longer than her sisters.  The bottom row is made of paper pieced blocks she made last year.  We switched to plain blocks when she realized how many 5 inch blocks she would need!

She did really well.  I am so proud of her.  Oh! did I mention she is 6 years old.  She will be 7 in April.  She still has to add a small border.
Happy Quilting
Caren

Finished

I just finished my Birdhouse quilt.  I added a button for the hole and a bead and sequin for the eye.  After work today I made a 3 D flower, for the center I made a "fuzzy".  I don't know what it is really called.  You take a few squares of stiff interfacing, cut out a circle, and then sew across the opening until it is thoroughly covered.  Then you cut the thread on the edge of the interfacing.  You are left with this little fuzzy circle.  They are easy and fun to make.

Have you ever made a quilt and you thought it was finished.....but then for whatever reason you changed your mind.  I thought I was finished with the birdhouse.  I laid it on the table, moved everything out of the way, and took a picture.  Then I noticed these little plastic alphabet beads.  A light bulb went on.  I could spell out, "Home Sweet  Tweet Home".  I think I like it much better now.  This will go in my stack for my Guild Alzheimer's Project.  This also counts towards the Rainbow Scrap challenge.  Yippee!

Now maybe I can finish Coco.   7 days until the big test.

Happy Quilting
Caren

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

March is Green for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Early Morning

I'm not a morning person.  I hate mornings.  On days I don't work, I don't get up until 6am.  That gives me an hour and a half to get myself and the kids ready for school.  These days I spend most of my time studying for the Praxis.  Test is march 12!  I can't even remember what my sewing dungeon looks like:(

This morning I woke up at 5 am!  I had the crazy idea that homemade biscuits would be great for breakfast.  I also hate making biscuits!  When I study, I crave sugar!  If I don't gain weight over the next 11 days it will be a miracle.  So I got up, Sweetie Pie made school lunches and I made biscuits!  They were nice and hot, covered in butter and syrup.  The breakfast of champions!

I finished my math book and workbook.  So today as a reward for studying 3 days straight, I get to sew for an hour!  Before I study some more:(

Happy Quilting
Caren