Nikki's Quilting Projects

Go Visit My Friend, Judy's Blog

2012-01-28T21:59:00.004-06:00

Check out my friend, Judy's Blog. She's having a giveaway...

If you need a longarmer, I highly recommend her. She's located between KC and Lawrence and she has some immediate openings, so hurry!

Wyatt's old crib quilt

2012-01-26T22:41:00.001-06:00

Now we use it for wagon rides.

Wild geese variation block. 30's fabrics.

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Tumbling along

2012-01-26T22:39:00.001-06:00

Tumbler blocks...

These are from a swap I did on Flickr. Such fun! I didn't mean to start sewing them together tonight, but I couldn't resist. I cut out more from my stash & made it bigger. I may go even bigger. Not sure yet. I love it, tho!

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True confessions

2012-01-19T14:08:00.001-06:00

I see the gym not as a place to work out, but as a method of getting extra mental health time by putting the kids in childcare while I sit in the sauna or cafe paper piecing hexagons.

And I feel ZERO guilt.

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Swapping like crazy

2012-01-13T08:58:00.004-06:00

So I know I swore off swapping, but I think I might need to clarify that statement...

I'm swearing off swaps/bees where you make something for someone else (except for my KCMQG KC Scrappy Bee).

Instead, I'm going to participate here and there in swaps for charm squares, layer cakes, tumbler blocks, etc.

Here's my latest swap: Distant Pickles Rainbow Layer Cake Swap. If you want to play too, hurry because there aren't many spots left.

My choice for the MM I Spy Swap

2012-01-11T21:22:00.001-06:00

My choice for the MM I Spy Swap, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I Spy Charm Square Swap

2012-01-11T12:52:00.001-06:00

Join me for a fun 5 inch charm square swap of I Spy fabrics. 1 yard of fabric. Quilt shop only, non-smoking, etc.

Here is the link... Hurry!

Another finish!

2012-01-09T00:39:00.001-06:00

Another finish!, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

This baby quilt is for my newest neighbor, 1 month old baby Kate. :)

Sewing with kcmqg

2012-01-07T18:45:00.001-06:00

Today we sewed for 4 hours at Harper's (our lqs) & I have a finish!

These pillow shams are for my spare bedroom daybed. They will match the quilt that's on the bed. Very fun!

And I also needed a backing for a batik quilt I'm making, so I used a table runner wip along with a baby quilt that was never finished. They're now a backing!

My new approach is to work on the projects that are closest to completion first.

Next up: bento blocks.

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Go hogs go!!!

2012-01-06T10:50:00.001-06:00

Go hogs go!!!, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Tonight, my alma mater (the University of Arkansas) is playing my husband's alma mater (Kansas State).

I've been gently reminding the kids today that razorbacks are good and wildcats are bad. We're practicing calling the hogs and saying GO HOGS, GO!

Tonight we'll have friends over (did I mention that we live in Kansas and all of our friends are Wildcats?) and we will sit on opposite sides of the room and cheer for our teams. I've informed everyone that I will only let people wearing red thru the door...

Go hogs, go! Woo Pig Sooie!

***** Edited*****
We won! My hubby and most of our guests were disappointed, but they all took my obnoxious behavior well. I had a bottle of champagne. Oops! Go Hogs, GO!

Nikki's 2011 Bee Blocks

2012-01-04T09:34:00.001-06:00

Nikki's 2011 Bee Blocks, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

These were made for the KC Scrappy Bee, the Lovely Linen Bee and Bee Vintage in 2011

Nikki's 2011 Finishes

2012-01-04T08:56:00.001-06:00

Nikki's 2011 Finishes, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

2011 has been a very crafty year!

Today's Activities

2011-12-30T14:58:00.001-06:00

We've been visiting family in Arkansas for the past few days and before that, we were busy with the Christmas holidays. Before that was a very bleak few days when we were ALL sick as dogs, but I will spare you the details. Thanks to a mild winter, we've spent a lot of time outdoors lately. This morning, we went to the KC Zoo to run off a little energy & get out of the house. Truth be told, I'm trying to avoid unpacking. It's overwhelming with the kids underfoot. We had fun & explored a bit of the zoo that we hadn't seen before, visiting the gorillas (who were hiding and/or asleep) and a few other monkey type creatures, along with the cheetahs and the leopards. A great time was had by all, but the wind was a bit nippy, so we didn't stay too long.

In my previous life (before kids), I was a teacher. This means that I know about ALL the cool toys. My Aunt Judy is a teacher, too. She gives great gifts, like these clear Magna Tiles. The boys are having a lot of fun in my attic playing with them on my light box. I usually use this to trace things for applique, but I have a feeling they're going to take it over now...

While they played, I worked a bit on my Great Grandma Nell's quilt blocks (remember- the ones I found in my grandmother's barn?!?). I'm making more so that the quilt will be bigger. I have lots of her scraps. It'll have at least one more block per row and perhaps 1 or 2 more rows.

On my design wall is this bento block quilt. I need to make two more quarters to be ready to assemble it.

On these two quilts, do you guys think I need borders around them?

Thanks for weighing in... I am hopeful I can get this house picked up SOONish and back to normal around here. What are you guys working on?

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For Kristen, Zach & Hallie

2011-12-29T19:52:00.001-06:00

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A Priceless Moment

2011-12-22T03:56:00.003-06:00

A couple nights ago, I stole away a few hours in my sewing room. First, I quilted a baby quilt for my neighbors that I'd been procrastinating on. My walking foot just isn't cutting it. It's past time to get my machine cleaned & serviced, but I don't want to do without it even for a couple days. Maybe in January... Then I worked on arranging my Bento Blocks. I still need two more blocks to get the size I'd like. My phone is acting up, so I can't upload the pictures I want. :(

After all that progress, I decided to work on the blocks I got from my great grandmother. If you'll recall, the last time I visited my grandmother, I found these in her barn. Naturally, I rescued them along with a hefty sized bag of scraps. The scraps were from all sorts of places. Some were scraps from dresses she made herself & others were scraps from discarded clothing from family members. I found some denim (just a 2x3 piece), a bit of canvas cammo (a 3x4 piece), feed sack scraps out the wazoo, vintage sheets & much more. Not everything is 100% cotton, but it's all old.

Before sewing together squares, I decided I'd better iron them and that's when it happened. The heat of the iron brought out the smell of my great grandmother. Grandma Nell died at least 14 or 15 years ago and these blocks have been out in a barn since, but they somehow retained her scent. Just like that, I was transported back in time and was overcome with the feeling that she was looking down and smiling at me. My quilting journey started after she passed away, so she didn't realize that I'd carry on the tradition she was known for. I'm so happy to get to work on one of her UFOs. I plan to back it and bind it with feed sacks from my collection. I've been saving them for something special and I am pretty sure this qualifies.

We have a winner!

2011-12-17T01:03:00.001-06:00

I had my hubby pick a random # and our winner is AZ10Z, who wrote:

2 I have 2 little boys who love them mommy knits and sews for them. I am a hairstylist by trade, and an artist by passion.

Congrats to you (please send me your mailing address & I'll get your vintage sheets in the mail) and thanks, everyone for playing!!!! I have lots of vintage sheets, so we'll likely have more giveaways in the near future. :)

Thanks for the Love

2011-12-15T18:43:00.003-06:00

I'm really enjoying the comments from my giveaway post. Nice to know that I'm not quite talking to myself on here. I started blogging to document my creative work, but it's fun to get feedback on occasion.

Thanks so much for following me!

Here's what I've been up to:

Still working on my long-term project of a quilt filled with 1 inch hexagons (no repeats) all by hand

Working with Wyatt on learning to read & other skills

Working on basic concepts of behind, on top of, beside, behind, between, etc. with the nativity set

Helping Owen learn to cook his own supper (toasted cheese sandwiches)

A fun mini charm square exchange with my KCMQG peeps

Showing off my new Advent Calendar at KCMQG

Loving my new potholder that I scored from Megs Monkey Beans in a swap we did with Portland's MQG

Bee blocks for Jaime in the KC Scrappy Bee

Organizing work on Quilts of Valor (this was a Round Robin project done by several people. My mother-in-law just appliqued the stars on the outer border. Now to piece the backing and find a quilter.

Play dates with friends on rainy days

Marathon sewing of log cabin moda crossweave potholders (way more than are shown here) for Christmas gifts for friends, teachers and therapists)

Decorating gingerbread houses with friends

(full disclosure- mostly the moms did the gingerbread houses while the kids demolished the living room)

Honing our computer skills

And getting ready for a fun Christmas Break.

I have a full life & am very grateful for that.

Merry Christmas!

Vintage Sheet Fat Quarter Pack Giveaway!

2011-12-12T07:03:00.003-06:00

*** Edited- The giveaway is closed. We have a winner! Thanks for playing & come visit me again soon! ***

It's Giveaway Day! Since my buddy, Tammie is participating, I decided to participate, too!

Here's a little info about me: I'm a member of two quilt guilds: The Blue Valley Quilters Guild and the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. I am a former first grade and ESL teacher and I currently stay at home with my 3 and 4 year old sons. I spend a lot of time thinking about quilting. I'm determined to make lots of scrappy projects this year to work on using up a bunch of my scraps, which seem to multiply each day. My favorite quilts are scrappy, anyways.

Today I'm offering up this fun fat quarter packet of 11 vintage sheets freshly laundered and chopped up by yours truly & am willing to ship internationally. I recently closed my Etsy shop due to a lack of time, so I'm extra willing to share the wealth.

To win, please become a follower of my blog and tell me a little about yourself in my comments section. Thanks for playing! A random winner will be selected after the contest is over (Dec 16 at 5 pm PST).

Thanks for entering!

Here's a link back to Sew Mama, Sew's giveaway page:

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/11/giveaway-day-december-12/.

If I've Seemed Distracted...

2011-12-10T21:24:00.001-06:00

Sorry I've been so absent lately. I've had some technical issues with my phone and my laptop. These annoying issues haven't been completely fixed, but I did work out a couple of problems. That's not the only thing that's kept me from blogging...

I know this is a quilting blog, but I'm going to get a little personal in this post. After about 11 months of various visits to an assortment of medical and educational specialists, two weeks ago we got a diagnosis of high functioning autism for my oldest son, who will turn 5 next spring. This news isn't a big surprise, but with it comes an array of emotions. Validation that my concerns weren't imagined. Determination that we can make up for lost ground. Bitterness that we'll have to advocate so strongly for him (in the schools, with insurance companies and doctors and with life in general). Guilt (even though rationally, I know there's no basis for blaming myself in any way). Thankfulness that we have no cognitive worries with him. He is curious, happy and eager to learn. These emotions and so many more. The psychologist who tested him seemed to indicate that with the right therapy, we might want to re-visit this diagnosis down the road, so perhaps he can overcome the struggles he has with social interactions, with his language delay, with the sensory issues he faces and with the anxiety he sometimes feels when he is overwhelmed with it all. Behaviorally and socially, we have some work to do. Although my background is in early childhood development and elementary education, I haven't worked with many autistic children before. I may not be an expert on autism today, but I'm determined to learn all that I can to help my boy. I have no doubt that he will grow up to be a brilliant man who will make me very proud (he already is and does). Our expectations are still as high for him as they've ever been. He amazes me each day with the progress he is making. We stay busy with school & speech/OT therapies. Life for us is rich and for that I am thankful. He is in many ways fortunate to be our child because both my husband and I have unique perspectives and experiences that will serve us well as we navigate these uncharted waters.

So if I've seemed distracted, now you know why.

I have been sewing when I can, but my focus and my mind have been elsewhere. I'll be honest with you. I'm still in the grieving stages, but I've also been taking serious action, learning more about our options, meeting people who can relate to our situation and planning our present and for our future.

To that end, I've decided to take some steps towards starting a consulting business helping families who are in similar situations. With my education background and with my experience of the past year in trying to get a diagnosis and services for my son, I am pretty well-equipped to help other families with the process of getting evaluations and other services from their public schools. I won't be employed by the state or by a district, rather I'll work directly for the families in obtaining the best possible services for their kids. This school year, I don't have as much availability as I'll have next year when the boys will both be in school in the afternoons. I've been spending a fair amount of time this fall towards this goal & have decided to shut down (at least for now) my Etsy shop. Generating sales in my shop requires more time than I currently have. I'm better off working on my business plan when I have a spare minute.

I will continue to quilt. It is truly my therapy and one of my only creative outlets. I've met some of my favorite people through quilting and I've learned some skills that are very practical in my daily life.

Last week I made this Advent calendar for my kids. It's a hit. It's bigger than it looks (around 3 feet tall) and it's quilted. The pockets are exquisite wool and the brown and green fabrics are shot cottons. The backing and binding are a red plaid that I've had for years, intending to use it for a tree skirt that never got made. Next year, I'll make a giant tree skirt. I made 5 ornaments for the tree, but lost motivation to make 20 more. Will work on that after Christmas, I think. The kids are mostly interested in the presents in each pocket, anyways. :)

I'll end my post by showing you some of the crafty Christmas goodness at my mother-in-law's house.

Merry Christmas and thanks for listening, my friends. :)

Do You Pinterest? I Do.

2011-11-23T20:03:00.001-06:00

And I'm addicted.

Here's a link to my boards:

Christmas Gift

2011-11-21T16:26:00.001-06:00

I've finished up this quilt, which will be a gift for my cousin. All the prints are polka dots from charm square exchanges.

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Block # 1 for nancy

2011-11-19T10:09:00.001-06:00

Winter forests & fields:

I did a little thread painting to make a soaring bird in the corner.

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Block #2 for nancy

2011-11-19T10:04:00.001-06:00

This block needs more gray, but I don't have just the right solid or print, so I'm going to give this to nancy as is.

Here's some detail I did with a little king tut thread:

I hope you like these, nancy!

-Nikki
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Qov wip

2011-11-17T15:26:00.001-06:00

I work with a great group of people who make Quilts of Valor. Sometimes we make quilts from our stashes. Other times a bunch of people make blocks for a sampler.

Occasionally, we get someone else's wip's. That's the case with this beauty:

My buddy, Trisch brought us a gazillion of these 1/4 log cabin blocks & some coordinating fabric. They belonged to her mom, who was frustrated with the quilt. It was supposed to be a king sized log cabin but due to inconsistent seam allowances, none of the points matched up. She gave it to us to use for quilts of valor. We made 4 different quilts out of her materials. This is the last one. Isn't it fun & modern? So much you can do with a block like this.

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Trim the Tree Swap Ornaments

2011-11-15T12:00:00.001-06:00

Trim the tree #'s 1 & 2, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I swear I'm going to stop signing up for swaps... I really enjoy doing them, but there's just NO time in my schedule & I find myself procrastinating...

But aren't these cute!?! I made a third one that's red. I used vintage buttons and both sides have trees/buttons. I have this theory that if you use pinking shears on something, it's instantly cute.

Let's start getting into the holiday spirit, everyone!

Habitat Reveal at KCMQG

2011-11-11T16:26:00.001-06:00

Last night was KCMQG & the talent there always astounds me. We had around 50 quilts for this challenge. The fabric is Habitat by JayMcCarol.

We each got a free fat eighth pack (free is nice) & could only use more fabric from that line or solids. While I liked some of the prints, they didn't seem to really go together, so it was hard for me to decide what to do. Also, some prints had peach in them. Peach is my least favorite color, I think...

So I chopped them into hexagons & did some English paper piecing. I used them with moda crossweaves for the centers of the flowers & used a nice blue shot cotton for the background & a moda Bella solid I already had made into binding to finish it off. Here's my entry (sorry it is blurry)...

And here are some of my very favorites:

And the winner:

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New Items in my Etsy Shop

2011-11-09T20:47:00.001-06:00

20 fat quarter variety pack, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I've gotten my act together & bundled up my vintage sheet fat quarters into sets to sell in my Etsy shop. Here's a sampling. Very soft & ready to use, freshly laundered by me before I chopped them up!

Blue Valley's One Day Retreat

2011-11-09T16:24:00.002-06:00

Sometimes, the creative juices are REALLY flowing, yet I can't make time to sew. I stay at home with my 3 and 4 year old sons and they attend preschool (not at the same time, alas) but I still find myself doing everything but sewing each day.

This past summer, I decided we needed to have a day in the country to do nothing but eat, visit and most importantly, SEW. My good friend, Barb listened to my idea and thought it sounded great. We belong to the Blue Valley Quilters Guild. Her church is a beautiful and historic Catholic church just a little ways out of the city. They have this huge room that we were able to use & about 40 of us took advantage of this opportunity to get away and sew. We had lunch and supper catered. We all brought sweet and salty snacks. A great time was had by all.

Here are the highlight pictures:

One Day Retreat

2011-11-04T23:48:00.000-05:00

Usually, my weekends are spent doing this sort of thing:

But tomorrow, I'm getting up early & taking a break from my family time to attend an all day quilting retreat with about 30 of my Blue Valley Quilters Guild friends.

I cannot wait.

Stay tuned!

Pictures to come...

Time to Focus on my Etsy Shop

2011-11-03T09:02:00.001-05:00

New in my etsy shop., originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Almost 3 weeks ago, I took most everything out of my Etsy shop & was a vendor at an outdoor quilt show that my guild held.

Since then, I haven't taken much time to update & refill my shop. I'm going to work on getting things organized & pictures uploaded today. Time to start de-stashing making money again. :)

I have vintage sheet fat quarter sets that will be grouped according to color & new to the shop. I also have some baby quilts, notions, feed sacks (real ones!), charm squares, vintage fabric and more.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2011-10-30T22:43:00.001-05:00

Thanks so much for joining me from Amy's Bloggers' Quilt Festival 2011.

Here are the latest two quilts I've completed. I Spy quilts for my sons.

I have two sons. Wyatt is 4 and Owen is 3. I have never been a fan of I Spy quilts, but when my sister-in-law showed us the one she made for her son, my kids went nuts over it, searching for each object with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. I decided then and there that I needed to make my boys their own I Spy quilts, but I also needed to find a design that was more my style.

So I signed up for a couple online swaps for charm squares. Both swaps were for 4 inch charms. The first swap got me 200 I Spy squares, but most of the prints were really busy looking. I put them on a shelf, waiting for inspiration to strike... Then a color wheel swap started up and I jumped at the chance to add 200 more squares to my stash. These squares were really nice because most of them were calmer prints or solids. I sorted all 400 charm squares into piles by color & started making 16 patches. It didn't take long to come up with the rest of my plan. A rainbow aesthetic was sure to draw my kids' eyes. I supplemented some from my stash and a couple friends helped me out with oranges and purples, which I seemed to be short on.

Assembling the blocks went really quickly. I sandwiched the quilts right before I went on a weekend retreat & got 1 1/2 quilted while I was gone. I used two different quilting techniques. The first one was quilted with my walking foot in straight lines. However, I felt like the quilt was really creeping with me, despite pinning in every other square. This caused me to try something different in the second quilt. I used my free motion foot and quilted really densely in a sort of flame/paisley pattern and I changed thread color in each section. I love the look and feel of that type of quilting and I'll certainly do it again soon. Using quilting gloves helped me keep a little more control over my progress. I didn't pre-mark and of my quilting lines. I just had some wine and got busy.

These will be Christmas gifts for my two boys. I envision the quilts being used in our living room while watching TV, in the kitchen to make tents or in the back yard for impromptu picnics.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you'll subscribe & want to learn more about me. You can find more of my work and my taste here on my blog, on my Flickr photostream, on my twitter profile, in my Etsy shop or on my Pinterest boards.

Reason Enough to Learn to Paper Piece

2011-10-30T21:49:00.003-05:00

I love, love, love, love anything to do with the Hobbit / Lord of the Rings series.

There is a QUILT ALONG HERE with a Hobbit theme. Seriously, people. The first block is Gandalf *swoon*!

Must crank out a few committed items so that I can start my new project. I'm thinking batiks, people. Batiks. Might need to make 3 of these... Would be good practice & I could give one to each of my kids while keeping one for me and the hubs, who also is a geek like me.

:)

A New Baby in my Neighborhood

2011-10-30T19:41:00.000-05:00

My across the street neighbors are expecting a baby girl in about a month. Here are 3 tops that I have finished. I'm letting the mom & dad pick their favorite. Which one is your favorite?

Once they make their choice, I'll need to get my act together & get it quilted soon. I'd hate for the baby to arrive early & not have her quilt!

Free Spirit Habitat Challenge Via KCMQG

2011-10-30T19:21:00.000-05:00

Free Spirit generously donated fat 8th packets of their Habitat fabric to my Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild members. Our challenge was to make something using only Habitat fabric and solids.

Here's what I came up with:

And here's a closeup... The blue fabric is a shot cotton and the green binding is a Moda Bella Solid.

And my messy signature:

I'll be donating it to my church. We are moving to a much bigger facility, so we'll be needing lots of colorful things on our walls.

So happy to be able to mark this one off my list!

A start for steph

2011-10-30T10:26:00.001-05:00

I haven't stitched yet, but here's what I've got so far for Steph. Depending on how well I am able to do on the stitches tomorrow on my
Mother-in-law's pfaff & if I'm able to make it to the store to get some more heat & bond, I may make the optional block, too. We shall see.

Now I need to get very serious on finishing my habitat project.

I'm getting excited about next month's block. Nancy is using some pretty kona earth tones. Not my normal color scheme, so it will make things even more interesting for me. :)

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Quilts in the Park

2011-10-27T22:12:00.001-05:00

Quilts in the Park 088, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

A couple weeks ago, we had a beautiful fall day. Perfect weather. And we had an outdoor quilt show.

I signed up to be a vendor and I worked like a mad woman chopping up my vintage sheets into fat quarters. I temporarily shut down my Etsy shop and I put price tags on everything.

We had a nice stream of people coming through, a bake sale, face painting, sewing activities for kids a couple hundred quilts and several other vendors.

I didn't make much money, but it was fun to see the looks on the (many) traditional quilters who saw that I'd made some really great quilts out of vintage bed sheets. They were all astonished that someone would think vintage sheets were pretty. Most of them told me about stacks of vintage sheets they have in their linen closets. :)

If you'd like to see more pictures of the show, check out my Flickr Photostream.

Time to Slow Down

2011-10-25T22:01:00.000-05:00

I've been too busy. Overcommitted. Seriously.

But I'm trying to politely say no more often & prioritize. It's a hard process & frankly, I'm not sure I'm doing a very good job, but I intend to try harder.

Two big commitments I made this fall were to teach 4-6 weeks at my church in the K-1 religious education class and to be a vendor at my quilt guild's outdoor fall quilt show. Both of these things took a LOT more preparation, time and mental energy than you'd imagine. I've also gone to Arkansas to visit family TWICE in the past month. It's always good to see everyone & visit my favorite places, but it's really, really nice to be home now.

I've still got some other pressing things that are hanging over my head, but after almost a month (or so it seems) without touching my sewing machine, I decided yesterday that it was time to be a little selfish & have some fabric therapy time.

It took 3 different attempts, but I managed to finish 2 1/2 blocks for my friend, Heather in the Lovely Linen Bee. I used scraps from my vintage sheet collection (which seems to be multiplying exponentially, not decreasing) along with her white linen to create these beautiful blocks.

This is the last month for the Lovely Linen Bee. I'm really glad I participated. I hadn't sewn with linen before & I think it adds a great texture when mixed with cotton. I always pre-wash it, though, as it shrinks at a different rate than cotton.

Here's hoping that I'll be able to take more time for myself & create...

Guest Blogging

2011-10-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

Hey, friends. I'm guest blogging about my adoration for Kate Spain's fabric over at my Twitter friend, Sharon's blog. Hop on over to read more about this quilt top and more...

Quilt Blocks in the Barn

2011-10-25T15:18:00.002-05:00

I found such a treasure when I was visiting my grandmother in Little Rock last weekend. In a barn, I found lots of scraps, old tv guides (to use as foundations for foundation piecing strips) and some completed blocks! Old ones!

Here's a picture of my grandmother checking out the basket full of scraps, remarking every time she noticed a scrap from one of her mother's old dresses...

And here are the blocks that are completed...

They belonged to my great grandmother, Grandma Nell.

I plan to use her scraps to make this a little bigger. I'll likely do it by hand, just like she did. I don't think I'll have it finished soon, but I will have fun finishing her WIP.

I wonder who will finish all of MY WIPs...?

A Satin Gift from Ms. Mary

2011-10-24T23:18:00.001-05:00

A satin gift from Ms. Mary, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Look what I got on my last trip to Little Rock...

My friend Ms. Mary is a product of the Great Depression. Truth be told, she is a bit of a hoarder & cannot stand waste, so she got these scraps from a friend of hers who does alterations on prom dresses. These scraps would've been trash, but she saved them & used them to create these beautiful blocks and 20 more that she's keeping for herself.

I'll sash these with more satin to make myself a cool summer throw. I'm so tickled with these!

Where have I been, you ask?

2011-10-10T07:58:00.001-05:00

Camping in a tent

We went to Devil's Den State Park in NW Arkansas. I went to college near there. It's a out a 4 hour drive from here. Was our first campout & the boys did really well. We will do more camping this spring, I think. :)

Here are pictures from last night:

Worn out!

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Batiks: What's Not to Like???

2011-09-29T12:40:00.001-05:00

So when I started quilting, I must admit that I wasn't a huge fan of batiks, but as my skills grew, so did my appreciation for batiks.

I'm not sure why, but many modern quilters don't care for batiks. I just don't get it. Look at this quilt my mother-in-law just made. The pattern is called "grandmother's windmill". I love it. So vibrant, don't you think?

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A Potholder for Lady Marmalade (Tammy)

2011-09-21T16:48:00.004-05:00

I always call her Marmalade Tammy because she's the one that owns Marmalade Fabrics. I made her this potholder as a little thank you because I needed just a few lime green and orange fabrics for an upcoming potholder swap, but hated to buy much of either color because they're at the very bottom of the list of colors that I like. However, it turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Tammy gave me some "scraps" (though in truth, there were at least 4 whole fat quarters plus other strips, too) to use. I am having fun with these! I quilted them with my roller foot and I used some vintage fabric on the back but forgot to take a picture. I have 4 more that are ready to sandwich and quilt... Maybe we can have another early bedtime tonight!

Toooooo Busy

2011-09-18T14:16:00.001-05:00

Playing with bento blocks, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Hey, everyone. :)

I've been too busy to sew. Too busy to blog. Feeling stressed.

These are some of the blocks I got in the mail last week from my Bento Block Online exchange. It seemed to take me For.Ev.Ah to get my blocks made, trimmed, quartered & squared up to send. I didn't particularly enjoy the process, frankly, but I'm really happy now that I've got all of these fun blocks to play with.

If only I had time to play! Since my retreat over Labor Day weekend, I haven't completely moved back into my sewing room. My ironing board cover (it's 5 feet long) is still in the garage and my design wall isn't back up yet. It's a really cool one that breaks down and fits into a bag, but two of the pieces broke, so I really need to order replacement parts. It still works, but it doesn't stand as well on it's own.

My life is a little busy lately & I'm feeling overcommitted in many ways. My Etsy shop has been terribly slow this month, so I don't have as much $ to play with. I've ordered some new fabric that'll be coming out in October, but just barely have enough quilting funds to cover what I've ordered. Not a fun feeling.

Hubs has been home a lot more since July but starts traveling again tomorrow. 4 or 5 days per week on an airplane. It's not so bad, but I'm craving routine. Ready to get on with it.

I've started taking a class through my church that is helping me shape an idea I have for a new business. It's not craft related, though. It's related to the education field & I will be able to work for myself doing consulting work. I can't see how to make enough $ for my time with crafting. Quilting for others is not something I particularly enjoy, although I'm going to take on two commission projects soon. One is a memory quilt and the other is a t-shirt quilt. For the amount of time invested in a quilt (or even a bag), I have a hard time selling things for what people will pay. I feel insulted. I'd rather just make something and give it away.

I still spend a fair amount of time on Quilts of Valor & I am in 2 bees. One of those bees is almost over & I don't think I'll re-commit. I'm trying to resist the temptation to do more swaps. I did a bow tie block swap last month and may make a few more to send in to swap. Will see.

I'm just feeling a little burned out and scattered. Needing to take a breath.

Still working on (and enjoying) my hexagons. Love that they're so portable. Enough rambling for one day. Thanks for reading this far & listening to me grumble. Will try to get out of this funk & back into my fun routine soon.

Hexagon progress

2011-09-15T08:58:00.001-05:00

I got a little time yesterday afternoon to work on my hexagon quilt. The kids were playing outside after school & it was so nice outside. 60's & sunny. I sat under the umbrella on my patio and whipped out a dozen or so. Took them with me to church last night & sewed a few more together. See at the top of the picture there's a pile of unbasted hexies? I'd like to get those basted today & tomorrow. This weekend I can spend some time going thru my scraps to get more ready to baste. :)

In other news, I got back my Bento Blocks from a swap I participated in this summer. They're a lot of fun! I need to get my design wall back up in my attic (took it with me to my retreat week before last) so that I can play around with them. So many possibilities! Maybe I can work on that tonight. If you'd like a sneak peek, here's my Flickr photostream. There's a pic of some of the blocks laid out there.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Start of a New Quilt

2011-09-13T15:46:00.001-05:00

I've fallen back into the relaxing habit of making hexagons. In the past, I've had aspirations of making a whole quilt of these. Not a small one, but something I could really snuggle up in. After experimenting with different sizes, I've decided 1 inch hexagons are the best size for me. This quilt will be 100% hand pieced. It will take years to complete, most likely, but I'm enjoying the process. Hexagons are so portable. I have no design plan. Just that I'm not going to repeat fabrics. Sound a little insane? Then you haven't seen my fabric stash, people. My plan is to use only fabric that's already in my stash or scraps that I get from friends. I might splurge on something really fabulous for the backing, but that's so far down the road that I'm not even going to worry about it.

Many thanks to my buddy Jennyweldingcaps for these and other awesome scraps.

I also have some scraps from the ever so generous Paula that I haven't even sorted out yet, but they're destined to be incorporated into this quilt and my quake quilt.

I'm always floored by the generosity of other quilters. Thank you very much, my friends! Let me know when I can return the favor!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Retreating

2011-09-06T16:36:00.001-05:00

Can I just tell you that I am a big proponent of getting away. When you're short with the ones you love. When your toenails have chipped away paint from months ago. When your lists are full of work and no play. When the city life is cramping your style. It's probably time to get out of Dodge.

First stop: trader joe's.

Then the liquor store. ;)

A 30 minute drive to this

Then this

Lots of nature

A labyrinth

A cozy cabin

Some unfinished projects

And a couple new projects

The Sex and the City DVD Boxed set, coffee, bailey's, wine, comfort food & solitude.

Priceless!

Then I met some of my KCMQG peeps for lunch

And made it home in time to celebrate dh's birthday with the in-laws

Hubs was exhausted & I feel appreciated & loved.

Clean house, new headboard for my bed. Loving kids. Can't ask for more.

Here's where I went if you'd like to get away, too!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Hideaway

2011-08-30T11:06:00.000-05:00

Prepare to be green with envy...

I was all excited for the KCMQG retreat that we had planned for November. I saved all of my pennies & had enough put aside for it. Thought November couldn't get here soon enough because I REALLY need some me time... And then our retreat got postponed & moved to a hotel in the spring. A hotel isn't quite what I had in mind when I envisioned a retreat. Maybe in the spring it will sound fabulous, but right now, I feel a HUGE need to get away to a scenic & quiet place. Needing time for renewal. Time for quilting. Time for me.

So...

I am taking two days and two nights THIS WEEKEND to get away to the cabin pictured above and I will quilt to my heart's delight.

Will be getting some Arthur Bryant's bbq, lots of chocolate and a couple bottles of wine along with some of my other favorite comfort food.

Will be bringing comfy quilts to snuggle in.

Will be catching up on my favorite podcasts & listening to music from back in the day.

Might stay up late and sleep in. Might not sleep.

Will be bringing my sewing machine, design wall, my big ironing board, big cutting mat, a partial roll of batting, a bunch of sandwiched quilts and WIPs.

No boys allowed.

In my pj's.

All weekend.

And the cell phone reception there isn't good. Isn't that great!?!

Jealous???

Quilts of Valor Workday

2011-08-27T18:30:00.001-05:00

Such a fun & rewarding day of sewing!

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Eye Candy

2011-08-22T22:10:00.001-05:00

Part of my Vintage Sheet Collection that's For Sale in my Etsy Shop, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Hello, dear readers.

Wanna see what's been keeping me so busy lately?

Sadly, not sewing, so much... but I've been thrifting to find items to add to my vintage sheet stash. These (and about a dozen more) flat sheets are for sale in my Etsy Shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/nkiblueeyes?ref=si_shop) and could be yours. :) I also have a nice selection of vintage pillowcases & some wool and batik fabric.

Aren't they pretty arranged in a rainbow? Makes me want to hoard them... but I'll resist. Lizzy House is coming out with a new line in October called, "Outfoxed" and I've pre-ordered a sampling of it plus a few other things. Needing to raise some funds pronto!

I've lowered the price on several of these items so that I can move my inventory out a bit. Swing by and give my shop a look. I also have vintage notions, yardage and some hand-made stuff. Even a hand pieced/quilted antique quilt!

Revisiting Hexagons

2011-08-21T16:24:00.001-05:00

How do you like this aqua?

These little things are so portable & so addictive.

I'm starting to think about how many teacher gifts I'll need to make for Christmas this year. Perhaps I'll appliqué this to some linen & make it into a bag. Hexagons really spruce things up. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Owen's Big Boy Quilt

2011-08-19T18:16:00.002-05:00

Owen's Big Boy Quilt, a set on Flickr.

Did I blog about this finish? Probably. I can't be sure.

Even if I did, I'm going to do it again because I just learned how to add lots of photos at once onto my blog from Flickr... Here's how. Make a set. Then do the share thing at the top... and type away.

Love it.

Here are details on Owen's quilt...

Via Flickr:
Pattern by That Girl, That Quilt, Jennifer Jenkinson.

Pieced by me.

Quilted by Angela Walters.

Owned by my 3 year old, Owen.

Fabric is Wee Woodlands by Moda, the green is Kona Avocado and the brown, orange and black are Moda Bella Solids.

Scrappy Bow Tie Swap

2011-08-18T09:53:00.001-05:00

Scrappy Bow Tie Swap, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I admit it. I have a problem. It's very hard for me to resist swaps.

I've done pretty well this summer and tried to not over-commit. I did the Bento Block Swap (missed it last time) and now I'm finishing up the Scrappy Bow Tie Block Swap. I could've made more but ultimately I ran out of time. *sigh*. I'd like to make a couple quilts with these blocks for my kids and maybe one for me, too. I think someone in the group figured out that it'd take 244 to make a king sized quilt. That's what I'd need to cover my bed. Maybe a little more to get the drape I like... Let's call this a long-term project.

For now, I'm going to try very hard to resist swapping until maybe after Christmas. Need to focus on finishing some items for my Etsy shop & working on Christmas gifts. I have a few quilt tops that I want to quilt, as well. These will take some time and effort, but I feel like I've finally got the skills and the equipment to be able to attempt some quilting on my own. Fingers crossed!

Check This Out

2011-08-17T22:03:00.001-05:00

I have a friend who is downsizing and I'm helping her out by selling some of her vintage goodies.

Take a look at THESE three vintage pillowcases!

A week ago I sold two in a red, white and blue color scheme. They're hard to part with, for sure. Wouldn't they make a cute skirt!?!

If you want them, visit my Etsy site. :) Get them while they're hot!

August's Modern BOM Block

2011-08-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

I'm on a roll. Got to sew tonight!

I noticed that the Modern BOM (Block of the Month) pattern for August is online today, so I scurried up to the attic as soon as the kids fell asleep.

This month's block required some improvisation (which for me means no seam ripping). Here's what I put together:

Here it is with the July block:

(sorry about the lighting)

I am looking forward to September's block but am glad to be a little ahead of the game by completing both July and August's blocks. It's not like me to be so proactive!

Tomorrow night I'm going to finish up some mini bow ties for a swap on Flickr. I really wish I'd been more diligent about working on these a month or so ago. I would love to send in more but I'm thinking I'll just send in 10 for now. A whole quilt of bow ties for me will be in the near future. Don't you think every son should have a bow tie quilt? Since I have two sons, I'd better get busy....

One other thing I've been doing is making two rainbow I Spy quilts for my boys. My goal is to have these two quilts along with the Homespun quilt I'm making for my hubby finished by the time it starts to get cold. I live in Kansas, so that's around Halloween. They're going together quickly, but the part that will slow me down is the quilting. Maybe if I make myself hurry and baste them... I might be able to talk myself into hurrying up and quilting them. I have all the materials and the binding is made for 2 of the 3 quilts... Am expecting a big 1/2 yard bundle of homespuns from my friend Charlie soon. Will piece those for a backing and call it good.

Modern Block of the Month

2011-08-14T22:52:00.000-05:00

I've had this bundle of Purple People Eater Kona fabric for a couple months now. Have been trying to decide what the best use of it might be. You see, my husband went to Kansas State University and they all bleed purple. I figured I couldn't go wrong in buying a bundle of purple fabrics...

After a little consideration, I decided to join in with the Modern BOM (Block of the Month). Here's July's block:

I had to use my seam ripper THREE times on this. It's late and I'm tired. I'll use that as my excuse... August's block should be up on the site anytime now, so hopefully I can find a little more time to sew this week.

My 3 year old starts preschool this week and next week, my 4 year old starts, too. One goes in the morning and the other goes at night. Things will be different around here, that's for sure. I'm going to have to start going to bed in a timely fashion. That might mean less sewing. *sigh* We shall see. It's almost 11 pm now, so I'd better hit the sack. I'll be quilting in my sleep, I think!

Thrifting

2011-08-14T18:07:00.001-05:00

Friday night, I got away for a couple hours & I went to 4 local thrift shops. I've been buying vintage sewing supplies & re-selling them in my Etsy shop. Found some great perle cotton spools for cheap! Not sure if I'll sell those or keep them. Got some vintage sheet pillowcases and a couple flat sheets. Also, I scored THIS find for myself...

I still need to figure out where I'll keep it. My kids keep messing with it, calling it a treasure chest. I think it's a treasure chest, too. Might have to keep it out of harm's way in the attic. I love it, though. Inside, there are pockets for notions & such. I am tickled. Guess how much I paid... $4.50! Imagine! So tickled.

Tonight's Sewing

2011-08-13T23:11:00.000-05:00

I had just a little time tonight so I threw together 3 quick blocks for some of my friends.

The first two are for Paula in the KC Scrappy Bee. She's using her Neptune fabric to make a broken dishes quilt. It's going to be really pretty, I think. Was a nice and easy block. Very kind of her to not throw us some hard paper piecing or tiny triangles. :)

The other block I made is one for a friend of mine. It's a secret. Shh! We're going to surprise her with a butterfly quilt... I decided my contribution should be wonky. And green.

Here's a picture of that one:

Homespun Quilt

2011-08-08T18:15:00.004-05:00

Homespun Quilt in progress, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

When I was pregnant with Owen, my second born (who is 3 now), my husband and I went on a babymoon (a getaway before your new baby arrives... we left Wyatt with the in-laws) to a nearby city called "Excelsior Springs" in Missouri. Harry Truman hung out at the fancy hotel we stayed at back in the day. It was a nice place, but there were cobwebs in the shadows & it was a bit dated.

The town had a charming diner & more importantly, it had a quilt shop. :) We picked out a couple dozen homespuns and a pattern called "Crazy 8's" & when I got home, I chopped them all up.

As with any new project, at first, it went really quickly. I love the feel of homespuns. One side feels like flannel and the other side is soft, too. Very snuggly and warm. They don't fray too badly & are a little shifty, but not horrible.

But before long, Owen was born and this special quilt was put on the back burner. Once or twice since then, I've picked it up & worked on it. Turns out I'm not terribly far from finishing it. Who knew!?!

So my buddy, Charlie has some homespun 1/2 yards that he's trying to find a new home for. I've been thinking about them and decided that they'd make a great pieced backing for this quilt. They're grays and blues (one of my favorite color combinations) and by using them, I'll have a reversible quilt. Bonus!

I'm trying to get two quilts bound this week. One is my batik picnic quilt and the other is Owen's big boy quilt. It was a quilt along and I had Angela quilt it for me. I'm really happy with the geometric designs she added & will post about it very soon when it's finished. Hopefully that will be in a couple hours. I have about 6 more feet to go on the binding. NOT my favorite part...

Stay tuned!

We Have a Winner!

2011-08-06T16:43:00.002-05:00

Terrain progress, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I am so pleased with all of the activity on my blog and want to thank my new followers for joining in the fun of my Terrain Giveaway!

I did the random generator thing and my KCMQG buddy, Tammie is our winner! Hooray! Tammy has won the leftovers of my Terrain jelly roll. Tammie, I can either mail it to you or if you'll be at the meeting Thursday, I'll give it to you then!

Thanks for playing, everyone! Here's an updated picture of what I'm doing with the rest of my Terrain jelly roll.

I have the blocks sewn into rows. Just needing to sew the rows together. Maybe tonight?

Stay tuned!

Selling the Old to Buy Some New

2011-08-05T20:45:00.003-05:00

Large Flat Rate VS Scrap Pack, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

As I've mentioned before, I've been selling my vintage sheets to buy an antique featherweight sewing machine, but lately I just keep spending my profits on new fabric. *sigh*

I decided to get serious and REALLY de-stash, so I put my scraps into 3 different sizes of boxes & listed them on my Etsy shop.

I'm wanting to buy some of Lizzy House's new Outfoxed line. I've pre-ordered some, but I know I'll want more... And also some Free Spirit Solids... and some Grinch Christmas fabric... and... and... and...

Brenda at Pink Castle Fabrics and Tammy at Marmalade Fabrics have become my best friends.

For Cristina in the Lovely Linen Bee

2011-08-03T12:01:00.001-05:00

For Cristina in the Lovely Linen Bee, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

These are the July block for the Lovely Linen Bee. I'm just a couple days behind, but they didn't take me long. Cristina sent lots of strips, many of which were pretty thin. I like the effect of so many strips. :)

Kate Spain's Terrain Give Away!

2011-08-01T22:35:00.005-05:00

Terrain Give Away!, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Today I was doing a little thinking and realized that perhaps I should give away the remainder of my Terrain jelly roll, since this fabric is SO hard to come by. I got mine from Pink Castle Fabrics on Etsy.

I've been wanting to see some more traffic on this little blog of mine, so here's your chance.

* For one entry into my Terrain drawing, become a follower & leave me a comment telling me that you're a new follower.

* If you already follow me, leave me a comment telling me that!

* For an extra entry, tell me what your favorite quilt pattern (or block pattern) is and why.

* And if you point people in my direction from your own blog, I'll give you a third entry! :) Be sure to leave a comment telling me!

This contest ends Saturday, August 6th at bedtime.

Make sure to leave your email address in your comment if you're not on gmail.

Thanks for following! While you're here, snoop around into my archives and check out my Etsy shop. I'm de-stashing some vintage goodies!

Terrain and Cross Weaves Closeup

2011-08-01T22:05:00.001-05:00

Terrain and Cross Weaves, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

These oranges and reds aren't as obnoxious as this in person. It's my Iphone's fault.

Terrain and Cross Weaves

2011-08-01T22:02:00.001-05:00

Terrain and Cross Weaves, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Check it out. I finished all the blocks last night. I'd love to be able to put this baby together tonight, but tomorrow morning is an early one. Blue Valley Quilters Guild is meeting and I'm on the board, so I have to go a little early for the board meeting. I have to pick up the babysitter at 7:45. Ouch!

Enough complaining! I'm loving working with these Moda Cross Weaves and the new Terrain by Kate Spain is so nice. Love the deep colors! Just scrumptious.

Hopefully I can get it together in time for next week's KCMQG meeting.

I'll have a couple fun show and tells if I play my cards right!

Sick kiddo

2011-07-31T11:03:00.001-05:00

Owen has been throwing up this morning. He is so pitiful when he is sick. Very sad.

We got him a big boy bed yesterday. You can sneak a peek at his new quilt here.

It's still needing to be bound.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Newest Project

2011-07-30T23:17:00.003-05:00

I scored this Terrain jelly roll from Pink Castle Fabrics on Etsy. This fabric isn't available until September, so I thought I'd better hurry up and get busy making something with it.

I was showing my bundle to my buddy, Mary Anne & she suggested I pair it up with some Moda cross weaves that I recently bought. What a fabulous idea. Both types of fabric are luxuriously soft & I thought this pattern would make the most of both my jelly roll and my cross weave fat quarters.

Square in a square pattern: I've cut each cross weave into 8.5 inch squares (two per color). From my jelly roll strips, I cut two 8.5 inch pieces and two 12.5 inch pieces. My plan is to quilt this myself. First, I'll outline everything in the ditch. Then I'll go crazy with some free motion in the solid areas & make it a sampler type of quilting with a different design in each block. I got this idea from Vickie. I need to do 1000 other things tonight, but all I really want to do is sew.

My husband hasn't been traveling much for work lately, which has been very nice... but tomorrow he heads to New Jersey. I am planning on early bedtimes for my kids, sips of reisling and moscato wine in the attic and the steady hum of my sewing machine.

My Newest Project, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I have about 6 or 7 more colors to cut into. These fabrics are so rich & soft. I cannot wait to curl up in this quilt. Am thinking of finishing it for myself before Christmas... Last year I made myself a Christmas quilt. Why not make it a tradition?

My Next Project....

2011-07-29T23:59:00.002-05:00

My Next Project...., originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Look at this eye candy...

Going to cut me some squares... Then put a border around each of them with a jelly roll strip...

Will be delicious, don't you think?!?

Got it at Pink Castle Fabrics on Etsy. I love this shop!

Keeping Me Busy

2011-07-19T16:18:00.000-05:00

I'm in Texas visiting my mom, my two sisters and my nephew and 5 nieces. They're keeping me busy!

Elaine's Quilt as You Go Strip Pieced Quilt

2011-07-19T15:39:00.001-05:00

I must try this sometime.

Here's a picture of Elaine hand quilting a Quilt of Valor:

Cousin Louise's Quilts

2011-07-19T15:28:00.001-05:00

I went to see one of my favorite cousins, Butch. Here's a picture of us:

His wife, Louise is one of my favorite people. Here she is on the right (My Aunt Judy is on the left):

Louise's mother passed away a few years back and she was an avid quilter. From the looks of things, she did a LOT of hand quilting and piecing. Want to see some of her collection? Brace yourself! These are so beautiful... Click on the individual pictures to enlarge...

The last one is my favorite. Do you think she will remember me in her will someday? ;)

Delivery of mary's necktie quilt

2011-07-16T22:43:00.001-05:00

She loves it!

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Kc scrappy bee block for caitlin

2011-07-12T21:34:00.001-05:00

I enjoyed this one! Caitlin got lucky because Jacquie let us go thru her scraps last weekend. I got some nice raspberry and teal scraps to supplement what I had. Thanks for a fun assignment, Caitlin!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Denim Quilt

2011-07-12T21:31:00.001-05:00

My first commission quilt... Finished!

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I Spy for Owen

2011-07-09T00:30:00.001-05:00

I Spy for Owen, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

This one's not quite as far along, unfortunately. I have a brown and blue block that are almost finished but will need to cut more green, purple and pink for sure.

I also have some black I Spy blocks that didn't work the way I'd hoped in my color scheme. Might make pillows out of them. :)

I Spy WIP for Wyatt

2011-07-09T00:29:00.001-05:00

I Spy WIP for Wyatt, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Months ago, I signed up for a couple different swaps online for 4 inch charm squares. One swap was for I spy fabric and the other was a color wheel swap.

All along, I've been planning on doing something with them that let me play with color.

I think these quilts are going to be quickly tied with vintage sheets as backings and I will likely skip the batting. I'd like nice and lightweight blankets for each of my boys to use in the living room.

My hubby likes to keep things chilly around here, especially at night & it's always colder downstairs than it is in our bedrooms.

I ran out of orange squares. Guess that's not a popular I Spy color. I'll raid my stash tomorrow.

I'm making one for Owen, too. Will have to post another post because I'm using Flickr to post & it only allows one photo per blog post.

The Object of My Desires......

2011-07-06T11:28:00.003-05:00

This is Mary Anne's Featherweight, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

This isn't mine... It's Mary Anne's. She loaned it to me. So sweet of her, right!?!?

If you know me or follow my ramblings on the internet, you'll know that I'm REALLY wanting an antique featherweight to call my very own.

All the cool kids have one. If you played on one, you'd understand why!

I'm about 1/3 of the way there in saving up $ from sales on my Etsy shop. Hopefully this trend will continue and I can buy a featherweight of my very own in the next month or so...

Thanks so much for loaning me your girl, Mary Anne! I am learning a lot & enjoying getting acquainted with her!

Antique Buttons

2011-07-01T10:13:00.001-05:00

Etsy Shop: Antique Buttons, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

My mom recently retired and moved to another state. After living in the same place for over 20 years, she had a LOT of stuff to go through & couldn't move everything... So...

One thing she collects is antique buttons. Mom goes to garage sales all the time. Estate sales too, and she's always on the lookout for buttons.

I "borrowed" a gallon of her buttons when I was making stick horses. I needed horse eyeballs, you see...

And she has 4 more gallons at her house in Texas.

This morning, I convinced her that she should let me sell them on Etsy. I think they're treasures and I'll likely keep my favorites, but I think they'll sell well. I think people will want to buy pretty buttons to keep in a box and pet... or in a jar on a shelf to admire... or they might even want to use them on their sewing projects...

Here's a small sampling of what I've got to sell. I'm thinking of grouping them by color. They're so pretty & all unique.

We also have some on their original cards. I think these will be great sellers, too.

I'm doing some research today on how much I should charge. Do you think there will be much interest in these & more like them?

Hot, hot, hot

2011-06-30T22:37:00.002-05:00

What a hot day! We picnicked. Shaded playground. Still was too hot.

I think tomorrow we will picnic in the living room instead.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pondering Commitments

2011-06-30T00:07:00.001-05:00

Block # 2 for linda, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

So I am in 3 bees. Two are virtual bees and the third bee is with my friends here locally in the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild.

I gotta be frank with you about my experiences with bees and swaps...

I'm pretty shocked at the number of people who flake out on things they commit to. Seriously. My friend, Linda and I had the month of November. In her group, she only received six blocks back instead of 11. Several of us have stepped in and been angels to make blocks for her, since it's SEVEN months later and the bee is wrapping up.

It took until last month for me to get enough blocks back to make my quilt and several people made angel blocks for me, as well.

In my other online bee, (I'm sure I've blogged about this before) two people committed to the bee and then kept the fabric that I sent & didn't make my blocks. After much pestering, one of the people who flaked out made some excuses and promised she would send back my fabric, but she didn't. I never heard a peep from the other person.

In more than one of these instances, the "offenders" were actively blogging and posting photos on Flickr the whole time. They were still signing up for other swaps I was in. Still over-committing.

I realize that life is more important than sewing. I totally get that. However, when you say you're going to do something, I think you need to either do it (and do it well) or communicate with the people involved about the situation.

My bee with my local KCMQG friends has been great. We see each other monthly and exchange blocks/kits. Because there's a regular face-to-face meeting each month, it makes us all more accountable. I'm not saying that we're always on time, but we do pretty well.

All in all, I'm soured on online swaps and bees. I'm involved in a bento block swap and a mini bow tie swap right now, but I'll likely stop swapping for a while after these.

I'd like to focus more on sewing for myself (finishing some UFOs!) and for my Etsy shop (so I can get my featherweight!)...

What are your experiences with bees and swaps? Mostly good? Some bad? Do tell...

Mini Bow Ties for Liz

2011-06-29T23:20:00.002-05:00

For Liz, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I am in love with this pattern. In LOVE.

Here's a link for a tutorial: http://quilterscache.com/M/MiniBowTieBlock.html

I made it for the last month of my vintage sheet bee for Liz (http://www.clairesmama.blogspot.com/). What a stunning quilt this will make! Frankly, it's a little difficult to put this block into an envelope and mail it away... :) But I will.

I've decided to move away from using Vintage Sheets, so I'm de-stashing in my Etsy shop. I might make a few tops to sell there, though. They are REALLY soft, but they're not as substantial as cotton and linen. I'm planning on experimenting some with silk and wool in the future, as well.

Fabulous Finds

2011-06-29T01:21:00.001-05:00

So I've been thrifting. Decided that Featherweight I'm wanting isn't going to buy itself, so I've opened an Etsy Shop.

Look what I found last night... TWO of these Vera pillowcases. Hard to part with them, but they are on sale in my Etsy shop, along with some other vintage linens, wool charms, Indigo batik panels and more...

I'll be adding more items in the coming days. I'm hopeful that by de-stashing my vintage sheets and some other fabric that I don't have a clear plan for, I'll have more room and (maybe) a new sewing machine to play with...

So help me out! Visit my shop! If you have suggestions for me, I'm all ears! Thanks!

De-stashing

2011-06-28T01:27:00.001-05:00

De-stashing, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I spent some time tonight adding to my Etsy shop... I'm SERIOUS about de-stashing my vintage sheet and feed sack collections, along with other treasures.

I'm itching to buy myself a featherweight sewing machine, but need some more cash to manage it. My birthday is July 13... Think I can raise enough $ by then?

Let's hope so...

Visit my Etsy Shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nkiblueeyes?ref=si_shop

And check back often. I'm adding more and more each day.

Lazy morning

2011-06-25T16:01:00.001-05:00

My boys watched tv for a while with their daddy.

Then he took them to the gym to "work out". This gave me the morning to sew.

Did I mention that he took them to his parents' house last night, too?

I love that guy.

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X blocks

2011-06-25T15:55:00.001-05:00

Carla got me started on these doing leaders & Enders. Addicted.

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Hoot Baby Quilt

2011-06-25T15:45:00.001-05:00

Last night I got my act together & finished this hoot top. It will go in my shop.

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Posh baby quilt

2011-06-25T15:33:00.001-05:00

This top is completed. I just started it last night.

I used a charm pack I bought last weekend at an estate sale & paired it with some white solid that was in my stash. Trying to decide what to back it with.

Here are some close ups:

I used one leftover charm from a "Pure" charm pack. Couldn't resist.

This will be for sale soon in my Etsy shop.

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New stash

2011-06-24T14:47:00.002-05:00

New stash., originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Here's my newest addition to my stash. Something I've been REALLY looking forward to! It's Lizzy House's new line of Castle Peeps. I'm missing a couple fat quarters that were on backorder, but they should arrive soon.

I fell in love with her previous line of Castle Peeps, but a lack of funds and solid plans on what I would do with the fabric prevented me from purchasing many of the prints at the time. I bought 5 or 6 prints in a variety of colors and instead of buying fat quarters, I splurged and bought 1/2 yards.

You see, castles are my thing. I made my hubby promise to build me a castle someday before I'd marry him. He promised and I'm going to hold him to it. :)

So how could I not make the investment in this fabric?!? It's destiny, I tell you.

I'm thinking I've found the pattern I'm going to use for these. Will see if I can't post a link later today. My friend Jeni made a Sherbet Pips quilt with 16 inch 16 patches and 16 inch solid squares. I like the way it would show off the larger scale prints, yet still have the patchwork feel.

*** HERE is the link to Jeni's quilt***

I've not had much time in my sewing room this week. I'm feeling it, too. Hubby has been in Texas all week and the kids haven't been taking many naps. I'm tired by the end of the day, so I've been sleeping instead.

But hopefully I can get some time this weekend to myself and next week, hubs will be home nights, so that's a major improvement! :)

So stay tuned!

New stash

2011-06-22T22:44:00.001-05:00

Went to an estate sale this weekend. The lady who died was a quilter.

Look at the treasures I bought for myself...

Recess jelly roll & Posh charm pack. So excited. $25 total.

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Next Up?

2011-06-15T23:35:00.001-05:00

This is the next quilt I've got on my to do list, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

It's time to start assembling Wyatt's spider web quilt. I'm going to order a bit more aqua essex to make one more row. This was created by my Lovely Linen Bee and unfortunately, two of the members went AWOL with my fabric. So infuriating. But... Such is life. I have more scraps and I can order more linen. Trying to not dwell on the negative.

This quilt is one of my very favorites. I was inspired to make it by my great grandmother's spider web quilt. She used lots of scraps and hers is more colorful than this, but I looked closely to see how she constructed it & duplicated her methods.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to make another quilt like this for my other son, Owen. I might use a natural linen on his. Not sure yet. I do know that I will use the same color scheme on the scraps. I used cool colors (blue, purple and green) along with some black and gray to darken it up a bit. The lighting in this picture isn't great. There are more greens in this than it shows.

Anyways, I'm trying really hard to knock out some of my UFOs... Having some success, too!

Denim Commission Quilt

2011-06-15T23:30:00.001-05:00

Denim commission quilt, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Made great strides on my denim commission quilt for Amber today. Many thanks to my buddy, Toni for sharing her wealth of denim, as my client didn't have enough for the size quilt she requested.

What you see here are 24 blocks made from cut apart jeans, jumpers and overalls. About 1/3 of them were given to me by my client. These were jeans from each member in her family.

I tried to include pockets and brads and even managed to have a zipper or two incorporated into blocks.

I'm going to work on my block placement a bit tomorrow and start assembling the top.

Going to order some brown flannel for the backing and binding. No batting. It's already very warm and heavy.

I'm going to stash away profits from this to go towards the featherweight sewing machine I've been pining over...

Polka Dot Quilt

2011-06-15T20:29:00.001-05:00

Polka dot quilt with 5 inch charm squares, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I've been saving 5 inch polka dotted charm squares for some time now without a real plan for them.

About a month ago, I started making 4 patches with some Kona Snow. This quilt is a twin size and I'm planning on quilting it myself.

This will go in my Etsy shop when it is completed.

Table Runner...

2011-06-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

Lately, I'm focusing on some WIPs that have been collecting dust...

Once upon a time, this was going to be a baby quilt for my sister's baby I thought she would have a boy, but she surprised me & had a daughter.

This still would've been fine as a quilt for a girl, but I made her two other quilts & this sat in my closet for many months.

I've decided to make it a table runner & sell it in my shop. Time to find a backing & quilt it!

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Wonky Log Cabin

2011-06-13T00:07:00.002-05:00

Wonky log cabin from Bee Vintage, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Via Flickr:
I finished my wonky log cabin quilt tonight!!! I'll be keeping this one for myself. I think I'll quilt it myself, too! Brave, eh?

It's made of vintage sheets and a couple of feed sacks. Very soft. These blocks are 14 1/2 inches, so this quilt is a biggie.

I think I'll make it a priority to get my kitchen floor mopped tomorrow so that I can spread this out and get it basted.

Should I piece the backing? What do you guys suggest I use to bind it? What color? I will have to cut into a flat sheet to have enough fabric. Most of my stash is chopped up fat quarters.

I have one other vintage sheet quilt top that's this size. It is orange and yellow 12 inch squares.

Nice to mark off some tops from my list. Will have to start getting serious about quilting some of these (many) tops that are neatly folded and waiting for my attention...

Bear's Claw for Tracy

2011-06-12T01:27:00.001-05:00

Bear's Claw for Tracy, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

This is for Tracy in the Lovely Linen Bee.

I got a package from her today from England with the materials to make this block inside. I love getting Royal Mail. Don't you?

I'm sending back some scraps to go in her bottled rainbows quilt. I've been toying with the notion of making one of these myself, but I think I have enough UFOs right now. Going to try to resist the temptation...

Angel block for Meg

2011-06-12T01:25:00.001-05:00

Angel block for Meg, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

This is for Meg in Bee Vintage. Just a simple 9 patch made from vintage sheet scraps. Will be a fun and cheerful quilt!

KCMQG Peeps:

2011-06-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

If you have quilting materials that you'd like to donate to Joplin's quilt guild, you can bring them to me at the KCMQG meeting tomorrow night and I'll drop them off Friday at Lynn Droege's house. She's our BVQG president and she's driving a truckload full of quilting supplies to Joplin on Saturday, taking them directly to the Joplin guild's president's house.

Thanks for your support on this!

Helping Joplin

2011-06-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

I'm in a couple of local quilt guilds here in Kansas City and we're working on helping a quilt guild in Joplin, Missouri (just 2 hours away from us). Many members lost everything including their homes. The place where they kept their charity quilt materials was blown away.

We're gathering quilts and quilting supplies to take to them in the next couple of weeks.

Here's a link with a letter from their guild president along with an address where you can send materials, quilts and monetary donations.

(Thanks, Carla for the link)

I'm working with some Veteran friends to get a local contact in the Joplin area in the hopes that I can deliver some Quilts of Valor to military members and veterans who have been affected. My friends and I have several quilts that are nearing completion. My goal is to deliver as many as possible when I drive through Joplin on my way to visit family in Little Rock on July 15.

I keep looking at pictures of the destruction there. So hard to wrap my mind around. I have a few Project Linus baby quilts that I'd like to finish up before I go. Hopefully they'll find a home, too.

I've talked to a few people who have driven down and helped with the cleanup. They've told me that they have donated stuff coming out their ears and are running out of places to put it. Rather than sending "stuff" down there to an unknown recipient, I've decided to work on a smaller, more personal scale. I want to make sure that the quilts we complete are given to people who need them right away.

Will be posting more soon as I get more information and a local contact.

Flying Geese for Beth

2011-06-05T12:35:00.001-05:00

Fun assignment for Beth in the KC Scrappy Bee today. Flying Geese!

I immediately thought of this block (one of my very favorites). Here's a WIP I have going making this block:

But it's just a little smaller than the block Beth requested so I made one in her color scheme, added a border and trimmed it. What do you think?

I hope the stripes aren't too wild. I couldn't resist adding them. They really help to draw your eye around the block. :)

Thanks for a fun assignment, Beth! This quilt will be spectacular.
Enjoy!

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Impromptu picnic

2011-05-31T12:56:00.001-05:00

This is an old quilt my great grandmother Nell made. I'm using it for a picnic quilt until I can manage to bind the batik one I made.

The boys played in the front yard (a very rare occurrence because I'm paranoid about them getting out of sight or going onto the street) while I worked in my badly neglected flower beds.

Wyatt found some yarn in the garage & had the best time unwinding it, getting tangled up & stringing it around trees, posts & the house.

It was so nice to cool off on a soft quilt in the shade & watch the kids play. We got some snuggle time in, too.

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