Christmas presents

Well not really, but let me explain...

I went to my mailbox today to check for quilt blocks, and when I opened the door there it was!  I knew it had to be the cute little Scottie block that LaDonna made.  "Yay" I thought " I finally get to see what it looks like in person!", because in person is always better than a picture.  So I put the envelope in my passenger seat and drive home, eager with anticipation.  I get home and drop all of my stuff and start trying to open the envelope.  Now, I say trying because this really turned out to be a job!  I'm half way through getting the envelope open when I think about Christmas time and that one present you get that is tapped at every possible location.  You know, the one your mean cousin Fran wraps because she thinks it's funny to watch you struggle to open a gift that you know is going to be awesome.  So I finally get the envelope open and the thing is covered by two pieces of cardboard that are what? Yep, you guessed it, they are tapped down on all four sides.  "Agh screw it, where are the scissors!"

So I finally get it open and look at the square, and it was ALL worth it! It is absolutely gorgeous, thank you LaDonna! I know, I am picking on your packaging, but it did come to me completely safe and sound! Forgive me for sharing the comic relief I experienced in my moment of frustration. 

Here are some visual aids:

So many different things...

Hello blogging world,

When I was thinking of what I needed to write about I was a little overwhelmed. I have really been slacking on my blogging lately.  So I'm just going to take it one thing at a time, starting with...

1. My quilt. 

I have been working on this quilt a little each week or two.  I try to not get tired of it (which I do often with craft projects), so I have interchangeably worked on a few different projects.  I'm a little conflicted on which direction I want to go with it, so it might go on hold for a couple of weeks again, but as of right now my work is coming out beautifully!  I am getting corners aligned and it looks like the work of a pro! (ok maybe not so much).  Here's the work that I have completed so far:

I love the brown sashing, and even though I haven't finished the middle piece, I think it has turned out exactly how I imagined it.  I have another row on the right that I was going to add, but then I thought it might be fun to not be so symmetrical.  That's where this idea came from:

I'm still undecided, but I think it will look something like that (cleaned up of course).. Thoughts?

I also need to make a square for a quilt of love, which I think I have an idea of what I will do but first I want to show you pictures of the square that LaDonna over at A Sisterly Connection made.  

Isn't it just Adorable!

So this cute little puppy gave me the idea for my square, which is why I wanted to share it with you. If your ready to make a square but just don't know which direction to go it this might give you inspiration also.  I also got the idea from my visit to my grandmother's place today.  She is making a baby blanked for someone in the family and sewing on tatted animals.  I've included some pictures (sorry about the direction and blurriness)

Horse

Monkey

Teddy Bear

Cat

Squirrel

 They are just all something else.  Grandma loves each one of them, except for maybe the monkey.. She thinks that one looks funky, but I think it's as cute as can be!
Now for my idea! Da-Dah-Dah-Dah-Da!

I am going to make a tatted animal (most likely the horse), then fuse fabric on a square in a way so that the colors pop out from under the tatted animal.  If I do the horse then I will have a different color for the mane and tail, the body, the saddle, the hooves, and I will put a spotted patch on the back (like an appaloosa).  This is one of those things that could come out looking completely adorable or totally crazy.  Who knows, but I will keep you posted!

Confessions of a Craftaholic!!

This is it!

We have the size:
12 1/2" squares
We have the color:
Orange

Now on to the next step:

Make your squares!

They do not have to be totally orange, it is merely the color that will tie the squares together.  Have fun with your designs and keep in mind the recipient of your wonderful creations. 

Feel free to send me sketches, ideas, and updated pictures of your squares.  I will post them to the blog so that everyone can see/feel the progress being made.  I will also post whenever I receive a new square. (as well as the progress of my square).  

You can send your squares/letters to:

Theresa York

11717 Jones Rd

#304

                                                                    Houston, TX 77070
and you can refer to quilt of love page for all information about our quilt.  

A quilt of love- colors!

This is exciting! I love the enthusiasm I have been receiving over the quilts of love!  I have even started seeing postings on other people's blogs to rally more help.  That is awesome, because getting the word out there will draw in more people that would like to get involved = better success and (hopefully) many more quilts!!

Ok, so where are we now?
You have swung me over to your side, I think we should make our first quilt a gender neutral quilt.  I am posting another poll for the color to use.  What I am thinking (and please post if you have another idea) is that we all create our blocks with a certain "theme" in mind.  It can either be a color (which I think will be easiest) or an image (like owls).  I would like to stick to a color for the first one, just because I think it would be a good place to start.  Yellow, green, orange, white, brown and maroon

I found some room decorations to get inspiration for color combination's.  These I found on The Lennox: 

 Beige, brown, maroon and almost a greenish blue

 green and white

(My favorite!) orange, yellow, brown and white












I have posted another poll for the main color that we want to go with, and make sure to respond to the post with any color combo's that you may like. 

Also, what size blocks do you think we should use?

A quilt of love

What is a quilt?

It's love, patience and art.

It's a shield to hide under when scared

It's warmth on a cold night

It's the feeling of presence when alone

It can be a stress reliever

It is an expression

It can tell stories and make stories

It's memories never forgotten

That's what a quilt is to me, what is it to you?

What does a quilt mean to a sick and scared child?

Some of my favorite quilts that I have seen bring love and warmth at sight, and I feel like it's about time I give some of that love and warmth to someone that really could use it.  I had an idea this morning, well to be honest I think it started last night when I was cruising through some of my new favorite quilt blogs.  I would find a new button for a different cause, and it just left me wanting to do something. But what? I could join a cause and do/make what they already need, but that's just not me. I'm the kinda girl that never follows a pattern.  Even when I use a pattern I change it almost so that it's unrecognizable.
So here is what I want to do:

In Houston we have Texas Children's Hospital, and this is truly and amazing place.

 

I want to make a quilt for one of these children, but I don't want it to be just from me.  It's something truly beautiful when people come together with a purpose, and that is exactly what I would like to create.  I want to involve quilters and non-quilters.  There is a part for everyone in this.  

I will post about different aspects of the quilt, for example, what should the color palette be?  Then I would love it if people posted their suggestions.  With the suggestions in hand, I will create a poll to get the most popular choice.  This way, it will be like EVERYONE designed and created the quilt.  

I would then like to take it a step further and ask quilters to send in squares (of course we will decide all of the specs on the blocks ahead of time).  What I imagine is squares with messages, names, notes of love and encouragement.  Squares that truly represent the sender.  Once I have enough I will put it all together.  

It would be pretty cool to go even a step further.  Send me letters also.  Letters to include with the quilt.  Something to brighten the family's day.  Share your stories, your encouragements, your love and compassion.  These are just the ideas that I came up with, but I would love to hear any more suggestions and ideas to add on.  I look forward to hearing from each of you! 

P.s. I have already started a poll to get this going.  Should we make a quilt for a little boy or for a little girl?  

Decisions, decisions

 I think it looks a-ma-zing with the smaller lines, but now I have a dilemma. Which colors do I want to use?? I like both blues.  The dark one is a nice contrast to the color of the turtle, but the variegated blue really looks like water.

 Here's a shot of both next to each other

 and here's a few close-ups of the detail.

So which one to I use??

First Draft

 This is my first attempt at Becky's turtle, and it's pretty cute. BUT it's way too busy! (not to mention way too many stitches and it took 40 minutes to sew out).

 I'm going to play around with it to see what I can eliminate/turn into a straight stitch.



What do you think about the colors?



It will be going on these towels below.