Adding Photos to Your Creations

I have made three quilts that I have sewed pictures into. The fabric stores and quilt stores carry a line of printable fabric sheets that can be put through your printer and then sewed into your quilt or whatever project you want to add pictures to. The only problem is that not all printable paper is really washable. The first one I made was for my sister Susan and her husband Dick. They live out on a farm in Sullivan, Mo and you may be able to see, All the fabric in the quilt has pictures of deer, fruits and vegetables, one has the Lord's Meal Prayer on it, all things rural. Incorporated into the fabric are pictures of their animals, their spring, front gate, house, etc. They used it as a wall hanging in their entrance to the house. Well, one of their sons was house sitting while Sue and Dick were in Europe, and decided it looked dusty, so he washed it. Well needless to say, the pictures faded. Luckily, I had a copy of all the pictures I had added to the quilt. There also is a new printable paper available at JoAnn Fabrics. It is called "Printed Treasures" and make sure it has the word "New
 on the front. It is not cheap, running about $23 for 5 sheets but has gotten rave reviews because it is washable. When we consider all the time, work and money that we put into our quilts, it only makes sense to get the best. The other quilt I did is a Memory quilt I made for my mother-in-law who is now 98. Sister Susan and I also made a quilt for our oldest sister for her 70th birthday. All these quilts can be viewed to the right of this blog, if you click on the quilt (Susan and Dick's quilt). You will be able to check out all the quilts we have made plus zoom in for a better look. One word of caution, to prevent wasting printable sheets, when you go to print your photos, once you click on print, go into your printer settings and make sure you have chosen photos for the best prints. If you will be printing words with the photos, such as a word caption under the picture, you will want to chose text and photo. It really makes a difference. I was a copy and print manager at Office Depot for many years, so I know it will make a difference. Until next time, happy quilting! 

                                                                                                             

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Well it's hard to believe that our holidays have come and gone already. I got so behind in my blogs as I was quilting till the wee hours on Christmas eve. Two weeks before Christmas I decided to make a band quilt for my grandson Noah who loves marching band. My friends from QOV (quilts of valor) suggested a design and I ran with it. After he received it, one of my kids said, "Mom, why did you put swatsikas on Noah's quilt.  Sure enough, there they were. He said he loves his quilt and don't change it and I feel like taking it apart and fixing it. I'm trying to figure out how I can change it. I also finished a quilt for my girlfriends husband who fought in Viet Nam and was wounded. So now I have been feeling like I need to be sewing so I came up with two projects that I have been meaning to do for years and I do mean years. One is a wall hanging of a Christmas tree and the ornaments are pictures of Christmases through the years. I printed all these pictures on fabric and they actually survived the fire so it was meant to be for sure. The other project is the Choir of Angels mantelpiece which I put on our blog. Then I will have them by next Christmas! Be sure and pop into Allpeoplequilt.com. They have some great organizing tips. I definitely need to go there and read them. Will this be the year I finally get organized? Who knows but it definitely will be another year of trying to get organized. Send me your organizing tips so we can share with everyone. Until next time ladies....happy quilting! Don't forget to check out Noahs quilt.

QUILTING: IT'S NOT JUST FOR WOMEN

Until recently I never even gave it a thought that men quilted. When I think of the history of quilting, I think of women and quilting and  that it was originally a necessary art form years ago and then as it progressed it became more creative and competitive. A women in my quilt group has a son Kenneth who is an engineer. Awhile back, Cynthia, Kenneth's mother, had back surgery and he would bring her to quilting and stay until she was ready to go home. He started helping our by cutting and pressing and before you know it he was quilting. We have our meetings at a quilt shop and two of his quilts are hanging up there. He is an incredible quilter. I was in awe of his quilts. My grandson Evan has shown interest in learning to quilt. He decided he is going to start on a quilt project soon. He has made pillowcases and even did a speech at school on how to make a pillowcase. I went on line today to google men and quilting and found some amazing stories and pictures of men who quilt. A man by the name of Joe Cunningham wrote a book called Men and the Art of Quilting plus there are pictures of his quilts. Also a gentleman by the name of Luke Haynes did a fantastic self portrait quilt. Thomas Knauer is another quilter. I'm sure there are loads of men who quilt. Every year there is a big quilt show here in Houston. I have  never gone but will go this year and also work in our booth. Don't forget to check out our quilts and see Kenneth's quilts. Until next time, happy quilting!

Batting: Which is the best batting to use for your project?

When you go to pick out batting, there are so many different kinds and

different lofts of thickness it can be really confusing. In the old days, the women were more concerned about warmth and comfort and often would choose wool blankets, old clothes, or raw cotton from the fields to line their quilts. They didn't have the choices we have today. There is 100% cotton, 100% wool, 80/20 which is 80% cotton and 20% polyester, or 100% polyester. Then you have the added confusion of the low, medium and high loft. There is also now bamboo which I haven't tried yet but would like to order some just to try it. I checked JoAnn fabrics and they carry a fusible batting made of 50% natural fiber and 50% bamboo. Hancock Fabrics doesn't carry it at all but it can be bought on line. Even if you don't quilt your quilt top yourself, picking out the right batting can make a real difference on how you project feels when its done. For instance if you make a wall hanging and you use polyester batting, it will stretch after a time. For wall hangings, 100% cotton is the best choice. For table runners and place matts, 100% cotton will lay flat better than polyester. I've made quilts with 80/20 which is 80% cotton and 20 % polyester and more recently have used polyester low loft and a high loft. It you are going to be doing a lot of top stitching then you may want to choose an 80/20 or a polyester low loft. My last project I used a  high loft which is more suitable for tying a quilt than machine or hand quilting. I have found that while I like 80/20, the quilts feel heavier than with the 100% polyester. I intend to make a sample booklet to keep in my sewing room of the different kinds of batting sandwiched between two layers of fabric to get the real feel for the battings effect. Don't forget to look in our quilt collection and see my latest creation. I call it Peace, Love and Tranquility. It is the quilt I made for my son. I even took a picture of the back. The grandsons held the quilt up for me and the back is showing sideways.

Backing Your Quilts With Creativity

 Every quilt pattern goes into detail about the design but have you ever seen a pattern that included hints on what to put on the back of your quilt? Considering the time and money that we all put into our quilts, I finally concluded that more thought should be put into the back.Until recently, my quilt backs have consisted of sheets I bought at Walmart. Not very creative, I know, but at least I used color sheets! I recently completed two different quilt tops. One is for the husband of a friend of mine who is a Vietnam veteran.   I had a 12 x 17 inch panel of the American flag and that became the center and the rest is rows of red, white and blue prints and solids. You don't have to go to great expense and you would be surprised how far scraps can go.  I haven't decided on how to do the back of the other quilt  but it will not be a Walmart sheet. On Craftsy.com they have a video on creative quilt backs. Be sure and check it out. I'd love to hear how you all do your quilt backs also. Be sure and check out our quilts because there are some new ones added. I added 2 of mine and 1 of cousin Mary Lou. Until next time ladies, happy quilting!

The Drunkard's Path

I was introduced to the Drunkard's Path quilt block awhile back by 2 of my sisters, Barbara and Susan, who made a wedding quilt for our niece Stephanie. I wanted to make a quilt for one of my son's as I have made both of my daughters quilts and it was time to work on quilts for the boys. The sisters created a beautiful medallion quilt using the Drunkard's Path template.  This is the most versatile block I have ever seen. It is simply a square with a concave cut out. You make the block and which ever way you turn the block, you create wonderfully different designs.

                 

                                                 
  On the left is Stephanie's quilt and on the right is an example of a Drunkard's Path block but turned a different way. I can't wait to show you the quilt I'm making for my son. It is so easy to do. I printed up a template for the Drunkard's Path and then enlarged it to the size I wanted. In the middle of Stephanie's quilt is a large 12 inch square. The Drunkard's Path is used around it to create the medallion. To get your free template for the Drunkard's Path, go to mccallsquilting.com. Search for the Drunkard's Path and download your free pattern. McCalls has a ton of free quilt patterns and is a great website. Until next time ladies, happy quilting!

Quilting on your Home Sewing Machine

When I first started quilting, I made the decision to quilt my own quilts on my machine or by hand. Not only do you save money as having your quilt done by someone who owns a long arm is quite expensive, but  you have the personal satisfaction of doing it yourself. I have quilted all my quilts on my home sewing machine with exception to one that I hand quilted. There several different ways to quilt on your home sewing machine. One method is to buy design stencils, trace them on to your quilt top and sew following the design. You can also stitch in the ditch, stitch 1/4 inch in from the seam line, or do free motion quilting. I always use my walking foot when doing the stitch in the ditch or sewing 1/4 inch from the seam line. I also always use basting spray that you buy at the fabric stores. You can use pins also, it just depends on what works for you best. With the basting spray, you need no pins and your layers stay in place. It also does not gum up your needles or your machine. With free motion sewing you will need to use your free motion or darning foot and raise your feed dogs. .I searched on you tube for some free videos on free motion quilting and found the following by Patsy Thompson. She has a 4 part video you can watch and she really is good. I also went to her website patsythompsondesigns.com. You can view all her videos on quilting. Free hand quilting takes practice.  .


                                                                                                                    
 

Scrappy Quilts

Well ladies, I have returned! It has been nearly a year since I have blogged and I apologize. I have physically felt bad for so long. In 2012 I had back surgery and in Nov of 2013 I had more back surgery. I can happily say I think they got it right this time and I am pain free for the first time in years. In the past year I have joined a group of quilters called, "Quilts of Valor." There are chapters all over the U.S.  We make quilts for wounded soldiers and veterans. It not only is such a worthy cause, these ladies are really a super group of people. Not only do we have tons of fun, I have learned so much about quilting from them. Most of the quilts we make are red, white and blue but not all. Right this moment we are making Scrappy Pineapple quilts. Initially I had reservations about these squares. We each were given a box that had 2 1/2 inch squares and strips of scraps that were cut to
 1 1/2 inches wide. You sew a strip on each side of the square and then trim it with the pineapple ruler. You keep doing this until you have sewed 8 rows. Here is a sample of a square and a video on how to use the pineapple ruler. The squares look fantastic and you can create so many different looks with whatever material you choose. Also check out the new pictures I included in our album. I did a

 

wall hanging for my daughter Allison for Christmas, a quilt for my
sister Julie and a quilt for my husband in honor of his military service in Viet Nam. I will doing a lot of  blogging and hope all of you submit your posts as well. Now that I have found out how to add videos, I intend to add more as learning tools. Until next time ladies, happy sewing!

Cool Links to Follow

I added a new link to Cool Links to Follow. Sister Barb and I both are crazy about the website Craftsy.com. We both have taken classes on line. THe neat think about that is once you pay for a class, you always have access to it. I recently purchased "Machine Quilting" with Wendy Butler Burns. She makes machine quilting seem so much easier and has given priceless advice on how to assemble your quilt top with backing and batting. In the past I have always used spray adhesive but this time I'm going to do it her way and see which one I like best. I never did the stitch in the ditch because I just could not stay in the ditch. I practiced with the invisible thread like she suggested and even bought a stitch in the ditch foot for my machine. Now my stitch in the ditch looks great. She uses the stitch in the ditch to stabilize the quilt, then you remove the pins and do your special quilting. You take your quilt and divide it into 4 sections that you stitch in the ditch, the work on one section at a time for you quilting designs. There are so many thinks of interest on this sight, I just needed to share it with you. If you know of a cool link to add, please let me know so I can add it to our blog. Please feel free to sign into our blogspot and add your own post, pictures or cool link to follow. As always, happy quilting!

Birth of a Quilting Project

I recently was thinking about how I approach a quilting project. Some people look through their stash and create a design in their mind with the fabric they have before them. Others see a pattern they like and choose their fabric according to the ones used in the pattern. I think my sister and fellow quilting cousin Susan is the most creative person I know as far as having the ability to quickly match fabrics together and being able to envision what they will look like combined. She reminds me of a woman I took my first quilting class from. She was an artistic person and when we went out into the store to pick our fabrics for our quilts we were going to make, she kept saying, "Let the fabrics speak to you." I listened as hard as I could but they didn't make a sound. I really envy Susan's ability to look at a piece of fabric and envision it in a project. Picking the right fabrics for me is agonizing. My projects always start with a pattern or an idea. Then I choose a color scheme. It usually takes me forever to find that first main piece, the piece I will build my project around. At this time I have 3 projects I want to get started on. I'm trying to find those magic fabric pieces to get started. I really get frustrated when I first start out so if any of you have any tips for me, please send them to me. In the meantime I have posted some projects I recently completed. One are placemats I made for my daughter Allison as a housewarming gift. The other is Joanie's quilt and then I made my granddaughter Madison and her American girl doll matching raincoats and hats. The fabric I used for the raincoats is vinyl coated and sold and Walmart and the fabric stores. It's cheaper at Walmart. It's sold as for making baby bibs and diaper changing pads. It is great for raincoats for kids. It's easy to sew with and comes in a wide width so you don't need as much fabric. I used a cotton print for a contrast on the cuffs and brim of the hat. I hope you will all share your ideas with us on how you get started with your projects and maybe offer some hints for those of us who need help. Don't forget to click on our quilt icon to see my new projects.

Happy St Patrick's Day

March is always such a busy month for me. Lots of birthdays in March in my family and spring break. We take the grandkids camping every spring break. My sister Susan always has an annual St Patrick's Day Gathering at her place. I hate to miss it. Everyone always has such fun and she makes the best corned beef and cabbage. Don and I just got back from spring break camping. The weather is usually warm but this time it was chilly down here. Now that we are back, the weather is beautiful. My sister Joanie and her husband will be down next week for a visit. I just finished her quilt. It's my goal to make a quilt for each of my siblings( only 7 more to go). This time I practiced machine quilting other than straight lines. I am taking a great class on Craftsy.com on machine quilting. It really is more difficult that I thought it would be. I did my usual 1/4 in inside the block and then did a border of hearts on the outside border with some hearts inside the quilt. I'm not 100% happy with it but then I'm such a perfectionist I know I will always find fault somewhere in my quilting. I will put a picture of it on our blog as soon as I can find where I put my camera. I joined a quilting group this past month. The group is called "Quilts of Valor" and they have chapters all over the U.S. We meet twice a month for 4 hours and everyone is busy doing something whether its putting blocks together, cutting, sewing strips, etc. All the quilts get sent to VA hospitals here and abroad and to Afganistan. We actually have a married couple in our group. I tried to get hubby to go but sewing isnt' his thing. It did give me an idea of making him a military quilt with his military info on it. He is a Viet Nam vet. Sister Susan and Mimi, her granddaughter went to a quilting museum in Kentucky this past week. She said it was a wonderful trip and her mind was blown from all the ideas she got and quilts she saw. I'm hoping one of them will write us a blog on their visit. Susan and I have been talking about having a gathering of family members for a quilting bee sometimes maybe this summer. I am hoping all the quilting cousins will come. It should be alot of fun. She and Dick live out near Sullivan Mo and their farm is so relaxing and peaceful. We will keep you all posted on a date. In the meantime, keep sewing cousins and share with us your works of art.

Never too late to teach an old dog new tricks

When I started quilting I thought since I had been sewing since about 12 or 13, that I knew all there was to know and quilting would be a cinch. Little did I realize that sewing clothes and such was a whole different story from quilt making. Believe it or not one of the most difficult things for me to learn was rotary cutting. The fabric kept shifting and I couldn't get the fabric to cut just right or lined up just right. I recently figured out that one thing I was doing wrong was I would line the fabric on the side without looking to see if I had lined it up also on the bottom so my fabric would be off the line on the bottom but straight on the side, still making it uneven. I was looking on line today for a book about borders. I always seem to do the same old boring borders, and found there is a place called about.com and when you go there, you can pick your subject, like I picked arts and crafts and then quilting and found a video on rotary cutting. I actually learned something about cutting that will help me. They also have othere topics on quilting. I love the on line videos. Also try Pinterest which I have heard is really interesting. It is a web site that is like a giant board of topics. Pick the topic you want and within that topic are thousands of ideas for you craft. .I am attempting to add a link to that video. If I dont suceed, I figure it out later. As always, keep quilting ladies and don't forget to send in pictures of your projects.

Back in the Groove

I've been out of the groove to sew for awhile with surgery and the holidays but now with Christmas packed up and put away, the house all clean and tidy, I'm in the mood again. I'm working on a quilt for one of my sisters. I am determined to create a quilt for each of my siblings. So far I have done 2 and am almost finished with the 3rd, and already know what the 4th one will be. That makes 5 more to go! I recently stumbled across a quaint quilting shop close to where I live. They have an open house tomorrow and offer a large assortment of classes to take. I am signing up for the hand quilting class. I really have a fasination with hand quilting for some reason. I have arthritis in my hands so I don't know how long I will be able to do hand quilting but want to give it my best shot. If you have shopped for fabric lately, you will have noticed how expensive the quilt fabric has become. Some of the less expensive fabric at JoAnn's and Hancock's is not as nice as the fabrics in the quilt shops. I have decided though, since quilting takes so much work and time, you don't want to use inferior material. I also have used just a sheet for a backing on my quilts but have decided not to do that. When Susan and I were making a quilt for our sister Barbara's 70 th birthday, she made the back out of the leftover fabric we used on the front. With the quilt I"m making now, I'm going to do the same thing. I'm thinking of sewing strips of the fabrics I used on the front to make a backing. Barbara, who was the first in our family to start quilting once told me that when you make a quilt, you want the back side to look nice and compliment the front of the quilt and she is so right. If you live in MIssouri, Susan and Barb can direct you to a fantastic quilt shop in Caladonia. Yes it's way out there in the boon docks but her fabric is high quality and low priced. Well worth the trip out there. Until next time ladies, happy quilting! Debbie

Pieces of the Past

In my last blog I talked about this quilt top created by my maternal grandmother, Dora Winkler Schott, and possibly my Aunt Dorothy Schott. What amazes me the most about this top is how all the pieces line up perfectly and the tiny hand stitches that hold them together. I use a rotary cutter and have difficulty getting each piece exactly the size of the one before it. Not to mention I have a fancy sewing machine to join them together and a 1/4 inch foot attachment to make sure my seams are exactly the same width. Not to mention the hours spent trying to choose the perfect fabrics and paying a pretty penny for them also. Grandma's pieces were made up of old clothing no longer wearable, probably tableclothes, etc., cut with a pair of scissors and sewed together with an array of threads which I think are embroidery threads because of the thickness and the different colors used. I can picture in my mind her living room and the exact spot where the old radio sat. I can see her sitting with papa and Aunt Dorothy by the radio in her rocker, sewing her quilt together. I can't think of any antique past down to me that belonged to her that would mean as much as this quilt top does. Quilting has definitely come a long way since Grandma's day but remains a labor of love to all of us quilters.

Merry Christmas!

Yikes! How did we go from Happy 4th of July to Merry Christmas? I for one, got totally sidetracked after the 4th with preparing for back surgery. The surgery was in September and then had to deal with the healing process. I had planned on using my recovery time to work on the blog, do some quilting, etc; but it didn't work that way. I had no idea I would be dealing with the kind of pain I was having. But enough of that! I'm well on the way to recovery. I'm trying to get sister Susan to either upload a picture of the quilt she made for her grandson and his new wife and also one of the crotcheted hats she is making. She was describing them to me today and they sound adorable. Crotcheting isn't one of the things I have ever mastered. My sister Denise is expert at it and makes the most beautiful things. At Quilting Cousins, we like to brag about any of your sewing or crafting accomplishments. In our album of quilts we have made, sister Susan (country quilter) put pictures of the quilt top that was made by our grandmother and Aunt Dorothy. There were only two that survived that we are aware of and sister Barbara had one that she recently gave to me. I am going to do some repair work on it and then hand quilt it. The entire quilt top is pieced by hand with the tiniest of stitches. I remember Aunt Dorothy telling me how she and her sisters and mother made their clothes by hand. A treasure such as this quilt top made of pieces of my grandmother, Aunt and grandfather's clothing, can only be hand quilted into a quilt. If you looked at each individual piece of fabric, by today's standard, they are not beautiful, but some really plain while others really loud and old fashioned. When you think of how each piece was cut by hand with precision,without the benefit of our sharp cutting tools we use today and then pieced together by hand with tiny stitches and as my mind can envision, done so while sitting in the front parlour by the radio while listening to music or their favorite radio show. The tradition of quilting was not passed down to us by grandma or any of our aunts as far as I can remember. That is to say, they didn't sit us down and show us how to do it. I will say that I remember Aunt Dorothy talking about sewing and things like that. I appreciate the treasures they left us in the wonderful memories we have of them and obviously the ability to sew and create. In conclusion, for this Christmas holiday, I am making doll clothes for my granddaughter Madison, and a few other things. Hopefully next year, I will get ambitious enough to start early and make some quilts for my kids or start on the quilts I want to make for my siblings, or finally make the wall hanging for Christmas I have been wanting to make for a few years but just never started on it. For Christmas I would like for Santa to help me understand finding my way around the blogspot so I can add patterns and things like that. This has certainly been a challenge for me. Have a great Christmas and quilting cousins, keep those wonderful pictures coming of the things you create so we can share them with whomever comes across our blog. By the way, the adorable picture inserted is of my grandchildren ( Natalie, Noah and Evan helping grandma recreate the nativity scene about 12 years ago. Quilting Cousin Debbie

Happy 4th of July

Last year for the 4th of July, fireworks were banned because of the drought we were having. This year they were allowed everywhere except the Schaberg household. The 4th this year was also the 2 year anniversary of our house fire caused by fireworks! My son took his kids to see a display in a nearby town instead. I was home visiting the last week in June and got to see Susan's sewing table up close. So impressed I was that I came home and bought my own cabinet bases at Home Depot. I'm so excited and plan to start working on it today. If anyone wants to make one, I'm sure Susan and I can help you. Susan has an awesome sewing room. It's really big. Alot bigger than mine but the sewing table does not take up alot of room. Right now I'm using a 6 ft table and a 4 foot table set in an L shape. The only problem with that is that it is not really wide for spreading out a quilt when you are sewing. At first I was using 2 6 ft tables together but that really took up too much room. The room I use for sewing is a 11x10ft room. We all have to create our work areas on what will work best for us. What is good for one isn't always good for another. I found that Susan's is perfect for me. I hope you all find what works best for you. On to another topic. I decided awhile ago that I wanted to make quilts for all my siblings. When you have 9 living siblings, that quite a job. I wanted each one to be special and have special meaning to each sibling. I already have made a quilt for Susan and made a quilt for Barbara that Susan and I worked on. Right now I'm planning on making all the quilt tops and then quilting them afterwards. I've got one in the making at the present time and also want to start another one. Before our sister Steffie passed away, she spent nearly a year cross stitching a beautiful poem for each of her siblings. She died before she completed the last one and I finished it for her. It means so much to all of us that she did this.Before I close, make sure you click on the link to "AllPeopleQuilt". They have an awesome video on a quick way to make pillowcases. All kids love these pillowcases. I've made them for my grandkids. They especially love the ones made of flannel. Until next time ladies, happy quilting!

Sewing / cutting table

This has been my project for several weeks.  My largest carpentry endeavor thus far...The surface is 44"x51" a great size for cutting and handling bulky sewing projects. The open back is a great sewing space.  Storage is galore & the cabinet space is for sewing machine storage. I bought 2 inexpensive 24" kitchen units, joined them together, veneered the sides & back, topped it with an extending top and finished the back as a table.  I reenforced the bottoms for weight of old machines, stained & finished.  It's a nice piece, built to last.  I debated on the height.  I wanted a comfortable cutting height, but needed to keep it accessible for reaching my sewing peddle. it is 32" tall and my sewing chair is 24", so it works well.   Now I have no excuse for the mess....right?

History of the Apron

The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a holder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken-coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes. REMEMBER THIS! Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron…… But Love !! Until next time cousins......

Cool New Stuff

I did add some cool stuff today. One is another website to follow. All People Quilt is an exicitng website full of free patterns and videos on "How to Do" stuff. I also added inspirational daily prayer. I thought we could all use that from time to time. The creator of allpeoplequilt.com is Better Homes and Garden, a name we have all known for years. I received a free magazine and decided to buy a subscription after visiting their website. You can never get enough inspiration and tips on quilting. I've been searching for a project and decided on a picture quilt of my grandchildren. This is where you take a picture and duplicate it with fabric. First I have to gather the kids together for a group picture. I want to take them all out in the country for a picture in a Texas bluebonnet field. Our wild flowers (thanks to Lady Bird Johnson) are something else and you havent' seen anything until you see a field of bluebonnets. What a beautiful wall hanging that would make! I will be home in late May or early June and I thought it would be nice if the "quiltingcousins" got together for lunch and quilting. We could also get our picture taken for the blog. Let me know what you think of that idea. Until next time ladies, keep on quilting! Your quilting cousin Debbie

a modern baby quilt

I wanted to share my latest creation, a baby quilt that I made with my dear friend, Molly. She is due in April with her first baby, a boy, named Carl Champ. Molly designed her nursery using a fabric collection by Moda, called "wee woodlands." She and I designed the quilt, and I machine quilted the piece. It was a wonderful collaboration, we worked together several days, in between nap times and lunches, to create this beautiful baby quilt. I will add pictures of her nursery soon, so that you can see the quilt in its "natural environment."